France faces renewed lockdown ‘within days’

Bloomberg

France is set to go back into lockdown “within days” amid concerns over a new wave of contaminations driven by the UK variant of the coronavirus, Journal du Dimanche (JDD) said, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the matter.
A decision is imminent, JDD wrote, saying French President Emmanuel Macron could announce lockdown — the country’s third — on Wednesday night. It could start before the end of the week and last at least three weeks, according to the paper.
Officials at the Health Ministry weren’t immediately available for comment to Bloomberg. Health Minister Olivier Veran said that a decision on a new lockdown or tighter curbs could be made within days or weeks.
France passed the threshold of 3 million Covid-19 cases last week. Contaminations driven by the UK variant of the virus — a highly contagious and potentially deadlier strain first identified in Britain late last year — will probably surge in coming weeks in the country, scientists have warned.
The current curbs in place
include include a 6 pm curfew and closed restaurants, cinemas, museums and gyms.