Macron loses his bet, and imposes a third confinement in France

TO THOSE who saw him at the Elysée Palace on January 29th, President Emmanuel Macron appeared more tense than usual. The number of new covid-19 cases had been steadily rising again in France, and the announcement of a fresh lockdown was expected that evening. “Imminent reconfinement” ran the headline of the , a Sunday paper which, presumably, had been briefed in advance. That evening, Jean Castex, the prime minister, was sent out to face the cameras. He surprised the country with measures that left the existing rules almost untouched. “Our duty,” he declared, “is to do everything to avoid a new lockdown.”Two months later, on March 31st, covid-19 decided otherwise. In a televised address to the nation watched by 31m people, or nearly half the population, Mr Macron announced that he was putting the country into a third national lockdown, this time for a month. The new rules will come into effect on April 3rd. They will restrict all movement to within 10 kilometres (6 miles) of the home. Schools will be closed for 3-4 weeks from Monday. A national evening curfew, already in place, will continue to apply countrywide. Non-essential shops will shut, and home-working be made compulsory where possible.