President Emmanuel Macron has given the French a glimmer of hope by suggesting that restrictive measures to rein in Covid-19 infections, in particular the 6pm national curfew, could begin to lift in four to six weeks, reports RFI.
It's the first time the president has given a hint of a time frame for an easing of restrictions.
Macron spoke during a visit to Stains, in the Seine-Saint-Denis region of greater Paris, a poor area which has been hit hard during the epidemic. He met young people in training programmes and senior citizens coming to get vaccinated, Le Parisien reported.
The youth training programme Macron visited is run by Industreet, specialising in training programmes for 18-25 year old youngsters focusing on automated production lines, energy and 3D printing. It receives support from Total, the French oil multinational.
During the visit, a young man asked Macron if he couldn't push back the start of curfew by an hour, saying the 6pm stay-at-home rule was “hard”.
"We have to hold out for a few more weeks...four to six weeks," Macron replied.