PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron defended his decision to hold off on a third lockdown on Saturday, telling the public he had faith in their ability to rein in COVID-19 with less severe curbs even as a third wave spreads and the vaccine rollout falters.
From Sunday, France will close it borders to all but essential travel to and from countries outside the European Union, while arrivals from within the bloc will have to show a negative test. Large shopping malls will be shut and police patrols increased to enforce a 6 pm curfew.
But Macron has stopped short of ordering a new daytime lockdown, saying he wants to see first if other measures will be enough to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
With 10% of cases now attributable to the more contagious variant first found in Britain, senior medics have recommended a new lockdown, and one opinion poll showed more than three quarters of French people think one is now inevitable. The poll also showed falling public confidence in the…