Anyone flouting the restrictions, in place for at least the next two weeks, would be punished. "I know what I am asking of you is unprecedented but circumstances demand it," Macron said. In France the coronavirus has killed 148 people and infected more than 6,600. The loan guarantee plan would be submitted to parliament in coming weeks and would be retroactive, a finance ministry source said. Rent and utility bills owed by small companies would also be suspended to help them weather the economic storm, he added.

Source: bd News24 March 16, 2020 22:18 UTC