"When we end the lockdown, we will have the capacity to massively scale up testing," he said in an address to parliament, defending the government's handling of the crisis. However, he warned that the infection rate would spiral if France moved too swiftly and people became complacent. From May 11, schools will gradually reopen and businesses will be free to resume operations, Philippe said. The government was prepared to slow or delay the unwinding of the lockdown if the infection rate spiked markedly higher, he said, with administrative departments divided into 'red' and 'green' zones. Where possible though, companies should encourage remote working after May 11 until the end of the month when the whole lockdown exit would be reviewed.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 29, 2020 04:52 UTC