Coronavirus: How will the lockdown be eased in France on 11 May?

The French government has announced how deconfinement measures will be implemented across the country

A colour-coded map has been published by the French health authorities to show the areas of France that have been most affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The colours red, orange and green have been used to indicate the rate of circulation in each of the country’s departments, and the strain being placed on local hospitals and intensive care units.

Red indicates a high circulation rate (above 10%) and includes areas such as Paris, while orange represents a circulation rate of between 6 and 10%. Departments in green, which currently include those in Brittany, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie, are the least affected (0-6%) and will be able to lift restrictions more quickly than other parts of the country.

The map is updated daily on the Ministère des Solidarités et de la Santé website and will serve as a reference as France prepares to ease the lockdown on Monday 11 May. A final map shown on Thursday 7th May will determine how deconfinement measures will be implemented in each of the departments, which will be classed as either green or red.

The French government has published information on how things will change from Monday, with tables showing what will and won’t be allowed in each department depending on its classification. This covers a number of areas of daily life including travel, socialising, schools, exercise and shopping.

Travel on public transport, for example, will be permitted in all departments regardless of colour coding, but masks must be worn and social distancing measures observed. Travelling more than 100km, however, will not be allowed before the end of May when this will be reviewed.

All theatres and cinemas will remain closed, as will cafes, bars and restaurants, although small museums and libraries will be allowed to reopen. Gatherings of more than 10 people will be reviewed at the end of May while larger events attracting more than 5,000 people will not be allowed before 31 August.

Meanwhile the majority of schools will reopen with restricted class sizes, however the reopening of lycées will not be considered before the beginning of June and will begin with lycées professionnels. The full list can be found on the government’s website.

Updated coronavirus figures are published daily on the Ministère des Solidarités et de la Santé website. The latest figures show the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France has reached 132,967 while the death toll stands at 25,531.

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