President Emmanuel Macron is said to have taken a “gamble” over health restrictions by not locking down France for the third time when the number of Covid-19 cases started rising once more in January. But the head of state has also gambled on the economy too. The French government thought that it could moderate the impact of the epidemic on economic activity through more limited but longer term restrictions. But as Romaric Godin reports, the French “economic resistance” proclaimed by the government could well turn out to be a painful illusion for the country and its public.
The “gamble” over health restrictions taken by President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought to avoid a third national lockdown in France despite a rise in the number of Covid cases since January, appears to have failed. Already much of the country, including the Paris region, is now under a form of lockdown even if the president himself has been careful to avoid using the term. There is also talk of further restrictions being announced later this week.
