The coronavirus-related quarantine introduced in 19 French departments will spread to the whole country from 3 April for four weeks, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday.
"The restrictions, which are already in force in 19 departments, will apply to the entire French territory from this Saturday for four weeks", Macron said in a televised address to the nation.
The president also announced the closure of schools and kindergartens across the country due to deteriorating situation with the coronavirus epidemic.
"We will close kindergartens and schools for three weeks", Macron said in a televised address to the nation.
At the same time, he stressed that it was necessary to preserve the learning.
"In this regard, the school timetable will be adapted so as not to leave our children alone. Specifically, this means that next week school classes will be held at home", the French leader said.
Over the course of several weeks, the epidemiological situation in France has been deteriorating, with increasing number of cases.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the number of people infected with coronavirus in France has exceeded 4.5 million, over 95,000 people have died. In late December, France has launched vaccination campaign. According to the latest data from the health ministry, more than 8.5 million people received one vaccine shot and about 2.8 million received two.
Starting 20 March, quarantine was introduced in 16 departments of France, including the Paris region, but with more flexible rules than during the previous two lockdowns. A week later, a self-isolation regime was introduced in another three departments, including Lyon. In these territories, shops that do not belong to the priority list are closed. Movement between regions is restrcited as well. Cafes, restaurants, bars, museums, theaters, cinemas remain closed in the country since late October.
