French PM: no new lockdown over COVID-19 surge

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Friday his government was not planning a new, nationwide lockdown to contain a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, but would instead implement a raft of less radical measures.

He said these would include fast-tracked testing for priority cases to reduce the time spent waiting for results, and targeted restrictions in areas of the country hit especially hard by the pandemic.

“The virus is with us for several more months and we must manage to live with it without letting ourselves get drawn once again into a narrative of nationwide lockdown,” Castex said in a televised address.