President Emmanuel Macron has said that from Saturday, France will extend regional lockdown measures to the entire country in order to combat increasing Covid-19 infections, though defending his government's approach to the virus.
In a televised national address on Wednesday evening, Macron revealed that all face-to-face teaching in schools would be suspended from Monday for a week ahead of the two-week spring break, with schools scheduled to reopen on April 26.
The stricter lockdown measures, which had already been enforced in 19 regions, including Paris, will now be implemented across the entire country for four weeks.
From Saturday evening, all residents' travel will be restricted to a 10-kilometer radius of their homes, with longer necessary journeys requiring a certificate.
Only important stores, such as supermarkets, will be permitted to remain open, with curfews in effect from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. For the upcoming Easter weekend, however, inter-regional travel will be permitted.
According to government statistics, the number of people in France who have tested positive for Covid-19 has increased dramatically since January, with the number of people in intensive care reaching 5,000 on Tuesday.
"If we do not act now, we will lose power," Macron said as he announced the new steps.
He also promised that hospitals' intensive care capacity will be increased from 7,000 to 10,000 beds "in the coming days."
The president, who is running for re-election next spring, also defended his administration's handling of the pandemic, including its decision not to enforce a nationwide lockdown in response to a rise in infections since January.
Macron said that France had "done well" so far in avoiding more stringent measures and that it had earned "precious days of independence" in comparison to some of its European neighbors who have chosen tougher health measures.
Established interventions, such as curfews, he added, were "powerful" but "too limited" in light of the threat posed by the virus's more transmissible UK variant B117, which now accounts for the majority of Covid-19 cases in France.
On Wednesday, health officials in France recorded a total of 59,038 new Covid-19 incidents, with 304 deaths. According to health ministry reports, the country's overall death toll from the pandemic is 95,667.
According to the most recent health statistics, 5,053 Covid-19 patients were in intensive care units on Wednesday, down from 5,072 the day before – a new high for 2021.
