PARIS (Reuters) – Three additional French regions including the Rhone department around the city of Lyon will be put under tightened COVID-19 restrictions for four weeks from Friday, the government announced on Thursday.
The move follows similar measures imposed a week earlier on the Paris region and a large part of northern France, where most non-essential stores have been ordered to close and people are limited in how far they can travel from their homes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating almost everywhere in France,” Health Minister Olivier Veran said, adding that pressure on the hospital system will continue to increase in coming days.
The new restrictions take effect from Friday at midnight.
They come on top of nationwide curbs. A nightly curfew is in place and restaurant, bars, museums and cinemas are closed across the country.
(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten,; Editing by GV De Clercq and Frances Kerry)
