France’s limited lockdown beset by glitches as cases rise

Residents of Paris and several other regions of France spent their first weekend under a limited monthlong lockdown.

PARIS 

Residents of Paris and several other regions of France spent their first weekend under a limited monthlong lockdown. While the French government insisted the rules would be less strict than in the past, the measures have been criticized as messy. A travel authorization certificate posted online was so ridiculed by French media for its unnecessary complexity that the Interior Ministry scrapped it within hours. For now, simple proof of residence is required to stroll within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) radius.

The form the French government still obliges citizens to fill out to travel greater distances - up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) also was not accessible online because of a technical glitch. A website Sunday simply said, “Available soon.” Under the new restrictions, nonessential shops were closed but people are not required to spend most of the day confined at home. The government announced the measures on Thursday as the coronavirus picked up speed again in some parts of France.

ALSO READ

New Zealand To Announce Date For Trans-Tasman Quarantine-Free Travel On April 6

Taiwan Gives Health Workers The Island’s 1st AstraZeneca Doses

AstraZeneca Says US Trial Data Shows Vaccine 79% Effective

Israel Lifts COVID-19 Flight Restriction

India's Rajasthan Announces Night Curfew Amid Spike In COVID-19 Cases

New Zealand Gov't Extends Support To Int'l Flights, Airfreight Amid Pandemic