French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on a TV screen as he makes a televised address on the new COVID-19 restrictions from the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 31, 2021. /AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered France into its third national lockdown and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
With the death toll nearing 100,000, intensive care units in the hardest-hit regions at breaking point and a slower-than-planned vaccination rollout, Macron abandoned his goal of keeping the country open to protect the economy.
"We will lose control if we do not move now," the president said in a televised address to the nation.
His announcement means that movement restrictions already in place for more than a week in Paris, and some northern and southern regions, will now apply to the whole country for at least a month, from Saturday.
Starting from Monday, students, except the children of medics, will move to remote learning for one week before going on a two-week holiday.
Thereafter, the country's nurseries and primary schools will reopen from April 26, while middle and high school students will be allowed to return to the classroom from May 3. University students will be allowed to go into campus for only one day a week.
Schoolchildren attend a COVID-19 saliva test in a primary school as part of the COVID-19 testing campaign, in Nice, southern France, March 8, 2021. /Reuters
"It is the best solution to slow down the virus while preserving education and the future of our children," Macron said.
"School is non-negotiable," he said, adding that France had succeeded in keeping its schools open for longer during the pandemic than many neighbors.
From Saturday, shops not selling basic goods will have to close, people must stay at home, work remotely and sign a document if they plan to travel to over 10 km from their homes. Inter-city travel is banned for at least one month.
Read more:
'All options on the table' in France to fight third wave of COVID-19
France to tighten COVID-19 controls at stations, airports and on roads
On Wednesday, France reported 59,038 new coronavirus infections, up from 30,702 registered a day before, bringing the country's cumulative number of COVID-19 cases to 4,644,423, of whom 95,667 died, a jump of 303 in the past 24 hours.
A total of 5,053 patients were in intensive care units, filling up the country's 5,100 resuscitation beds.
Since the beginning of March, the French hospital system has been under severe strain due to a sharp spike in the number of infections, triggering calls for a new lockdown.
Macron said that it was vital "to vaccinate as quickly as possible, and the most fragile," calling vaccination "the key to reconnect with life, the key to reopen our country."
He hoped that terraces of cafes and restaurants could receive people and some cultural venues may resume activities "under strict rules" from mid-May.
(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)