As it happened: Millions emerge from eight-week Covid-19 lockdown in France

Issued on: 11/05/2020 - 07:37

A woman walks down Paris's Champs-Elysèes boulevard as shops reopened for the first time in eight weeks as France lifted its nationwide Covid-19 lockdown on May 11. AFP - ERIC PIERMONT

Text by: FRANCE 24 Follow

Millions of French people cautiously emerged on Monday from eight weeks of one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns aimed at stamping out the spread of Covid-19. Read our live blog to see how the easing of restrictions unfolded throughout the country.

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France cautiously emerged from one of Europe's strictest coronavirus lockdowns on Monday, allowing non-essential shops, factories and other businesses to reopen for the first time in eight weeks.
Schools in France will be re-opened in phases and people can now leave home without government paperwork, although documentation is still needed for rush-hour travel around Paris.
Although some trains and stations in the wider Paris region have been worryingly crowded, France's first day post-lockdown is "going as it should", the country's transport secretary, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said.
The government has called for caution to avoid a sudden spike in cases amid the lifting of restrictions.
France on Monday reported 263 new deaths from Covid-19 against 70 the day before. However, Monday's figures often tend to register a spike after the weekend lull.
More than 26,000 people have died from Covid-19 in France, the world's fifth highest official death toll. The rate of infection has been steadily declining since early April.
France’s lifting of its lockdown comes amid worries over fresh coronavirus cases in some countries that have won praise for their handling of the pandemic, such as South Korea and Germany.
Senior civil servant Jean Castex, who is advising the government on plans for lifting the lockdown, says the government must prepare to reimpose strict measures in the case of a second wave.