France envisages gradual lockdown exit: Official

Paris, Nov 23 : Amid improved pandemic data after a second lockdown was imposed in France, the country, one of the worst-hit in Europe, has envisaged a three-stage process to return to normalcy to avoid the coronavirus resurgence, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal announced.
Speaking to the weekly newspaper Le Journal Du Dimanche (JDD), Attal on Sunday said easing restriction “will be carried out in three steps following the health situation and related risks of some activities: a first stage around December 1, then before the year-end holidays, and from January 2021”, reports Xinhua news agency.
“What is at stake is adapting lockdown rules as the health situation improves while avoiding a new flare-up in the epidemic,” said Attal.
He added that shop owners would be able to reopen early December, while restriction on catering businesses and people’s movement would be maintained.
Since September, coronavirus figures in France have spiraled to levels much higher than in the first wave of the pandemic, which prompted authorities to impose the second national lockdown on October 30.
The additional anti-coronavirus rules are effective until next month.