Cafes and restaurants reopen in France

Cafes and restaurants in Paris opened on Monday for the first time since the lockdown to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus came into effect on 14 March.

The surprise permission to reopen came from France's president himself, in a televised address to the nation on Sunday night.

"We will rediscover ... the art of living, our taste for freedom," President Emmanuel Macron said, citing progress in fighting the virus. "We will rediscover France."

Café Des Anges, in the heart of Paris' Bastille neighborhood, reopened on Monday morning amid a relaxed atmosphere.

Customers seemed happy to reconnect and talked about the need to remain cautious despite a lack of social distancing, and most not wearing masks inside.

Manager Virgile Grunberg has lost hundreds of thousands of Euros due to the virus, but he has a loyal clientele and his establishment has been around for more than two decades.

Grunberg said the challenge will be getting customers to adhere to social distancing measures, but he believes people know the risks they face and have missed the café enough to return.

The changes on Monday come after restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, with Paris cafes before Monday allowed only to serve people outside, but not open their doors.