President Emmanuel Macron will spare the Paris region a weekend lockdown for now, determined to keep France’s economy as open as possible, even though the death rate from COVID-19 is still creeping up, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Two government sources aware of Macron’s thinking said Prime Minister Jean Castex would on Thursday announce a weekend lockdown for the northerly Pas-de-Calais area, like that already imposed on the French Riviera, but not for the capital and its surroundings.
Macron is hoping to avoid another setback for the economy in the expectation that France’s coronavirus vaccination programme, which has targeted the most vulnerable but been slow, will gradually reduce the numbers falling sick and dying.
“If we can avoid a weekend lockdown in Paris, we will try to do so,” Macron told ministers, according to a third source. “Every weekend gained is important.”
A spokesperson for Castex said that a lockdown, even if only at the weekend, should be a “last resort”. The situation in Paris will be reviewed next week.