France preps to reopen restaurants

PARIS: The French government was expected to announce yesterday new measures to ease the coronavirus lockdown, allowing restaurants in areas where the outbreak remains contained to open as soon as next week.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will unveil the second phase of his plan to get the country back to work following a meeting with top cabinet members, a government source said, after strict stay-at-home orders were lifted on May 11.

But while restaurants, bars and cafes in so-called “green” zones with limited Covid-19 cases could open on June 2, those in “red” zones including Paris and a large swathe of the northeast may have to wait until July, the source said.

Cities will also be allowed to reopen parks and public gardens, though in red zones visitors will have to wear masks.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has urged the government to reopen parks for residents who have been cooped up for weeks, not least to avoid the mass gatherings on canals and esplanades as summer approaches, many of which have been dispersed by police.

The number of Covid-19 daily deaths has continued to decline across France, with 66 new fatalities reported on Wednesday, bringing the total to just under 28,600.

That could allow the government to lift restrictions on travelling, with residents currently required to stay within 100 kilometres of their homes, tourism minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said this week. But face masks will remain mandatory on trains, metros and other public transport “so long as we do not have a treatment” against the new coronavirus, environment minister Elisabeth Borne said on Wednesday.

Ms Borne told yesterday’s Paris Match magazine she also plans to triple government funds to encourage cycling to 60 million euros (2.1 billion baht) and avoid a surge in car use by people wary of public transport.

Parents of high school students are also waiting to learn if classes will resume at least partially in June.

And in Paris, an administrative court has allowed the Printemps department store, an Art Nouveau landmark, to reopen, though shops with more than 40,000 square metres of floor space must remain closed for now.