Speaking to a news outlet, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire recently reaffirmed that the country's GDP should grow by 6% this year, adding that the government is not planning to tax the French people's income. According to Le Maire, the government is planning to continue providing aid while pledging not to withdraw it in a brutal manner.
He also said that all options are on the table in terms of protecting the health of the French citizenry, which is currently suffering a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he highlighted that the government should avoid imposing stricter restriction measures. Currently, there are no plans to change the list of businesses that are required to be closed as part of the restrictions.
So far, 4,545,589 COVID-19 infections have been reported in France, as well as a death toll of 94,596, making France one of the most affected countries in Europe.
The French government decided to tighten the COVID restrictions mainly because cases have doubled since the beginning of March. Recently, French Minister Olivier Veran announced that France has broken its daily vaccination record, vaccinating around 400,000 individuals at the end of the week. Since the beginning of the vaccine rollout, 7 million doses have been distributed among the French people, covering about 10% of the population.
Among the newest restrictions is the closing of non-essential outlets and limiting traveling between regions. Adding to this, people will not be allowed to walk beyond a 10-kilometer radius from their homes, and will need to fill a permission form if they are making trips beyond that limit.
The rules were also tightened in schools, which are remaining open, but may see more class closures in the coming days if even one student tests positive, where previously three positive cases were required.
“That will necessarily mean more class closures in the coming days,” commented the French education minister about the new restrictions, adding that closing schools would be a last-resort measure.
The French economy is expected to rebound this year now that the recession is behind it, and according to projections made by the French central bank, it may be coming back to pre-COVID levels in 2022. The economy declined by 8.3% last year according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
By 9:37 GMT, the euro went down by 0.15% against the US dollar to the 1.1774 level.