France to close schools, extend Covid-19 lockdown for 4 weeks

French President Emmanuel Macron extended COVID-19 lockdown measures on Wednesday from 19 areas including Paris to all of mainland France from April 3 for 4 weeks.

Macron widened the light lockdown measures currently imposed on a third of the French population, including Paris, to all of mainland France.

“We don’t have to lock ourselves in but we need to limit our contacts,” Macron said.

“We tried to push back this day for as long as possible – but unfortunately it has now arrived,” he went on saying. “We will lose control if we do not act now.”

The President also announced the closure of all schools and daycare centers for three weeks until April 26.

In the same context, he justified his decision of keeping schools open since the end of the first lockdown in spring 2020, which has received intensifying criticism over recent weeks: “School is non-negotiable.”

Moreover, he banned travel between different French regions for the duration of the nationwide light lockdown, while the 7 pm curfew currently imposed on the 19 regions will be extended to all of mainland France.

Notably, confirmed Covid-19 cases per day in France have doubled since February to nearly 40,000, with the number of patients in intensive care units surpassing 5,000 on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, France's complete death toll reached 95,337 since the start of the epidemic, which made the French President warn that the country may reach 100,000 coronavirus deaths in the coming days.