News24
16 Jun 2021, 23:43 GMT+10
France on Wednesday said it was ending the obligation to wear masks outside and would bring forwards by 10 days the lifting of a night time curfew, as Covid infections fall and the country's vaccine drive picks up.
Prime Minister Jean Castex said the requirement for people to wear masks outdoors would be lifted from Thursday, with some exceptions, while an unpopular Covid curfew will be scrapped on 20 June.
The 23:00 curfew will be lifted 10 days earlier than initially planned as the number of coronavirus infections continues to fall, Castex said.
"The health situation of our country is improving faster than we expected," Castex told a press conference after cabinet meeting.
Masks would still be required outdoors in crowded places and in stadiums.
ALSO READ | Moscow orders mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations over 'dramatic' case rise
The average number of new daily infections fell to 3 200 on Tuesday, France's lowest level since August 2020, and far below the upper limit of 5 000 cases President Emmanuel Macron had set as his goal late last year.
The slowdown in the spread of the virus in France has been contrasted with a new surge in cases across the Channel in Britain that has been blamed on the Delta variant.
After a slow start to its vaccination drive six months ago, France is racing to get as many people immunised as possible to try ward off the spread of the variant on its territory.
Castex said the government aimed to have around 35 million people completely vaccinated by the end of the summer, representing a little over half of the population
Get a daily dose of Irish Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Irish Sun.
More InformationMADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Tánaiste Simon Harris has called on the United States to use every hour to reach a zero-for-zero tariff agreement...
DUBLIN, Ireland: A blind woman from Dublin says she was hurt while getting off a bus because the driver refused to pull in close to...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has warned that there could be a serious trolley crisis this summer...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...