COVID-19: France extends lockdown till May 11 as cases spike

French President Emmanuel Macron on April 13 announced a one-month extension for lockdown period which will now last until May 11. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said that progress has been made in the fight against coronavirus but the battle was yet to be won. Macron also admitted that his government was not sufficiently prepared for a crisis of this magnitude and assured the public that France would be able to test every citizen showing COVID-19 symptoms.

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Many experts have predicted that the United Kingdom could follow the same line as France and may extend the lockdown period too. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is currently leading the coronavirus response team in the UK in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's absence, hinted at a possible extension of lockdown as he warned that the peak in the country had still not passed. Media reports suggest that the lockdown in the UK could be extended by another three weeks. 

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The United Kingdom is one of the most affected countries in the world with over 88,600 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 11,300 deaths so far. According to data by worldometer, there are currently 76,948 active infections in the country with over 1,500 critical cases. Meanwhile, France has recorded over 1,36,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with over 14,900 deaths.  

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Coronavirus outbreak

The deadly coronavirus infection has claimed more than 1,19,700 lives across the world and has infected over 19,25,800 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last month before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

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(Image Credit: AP)