Exit looms for French; UK more cautious

PARIS－France will start to ease restrictions on movement from Monday through "a very gradual process" stretching over several weeks at the least to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19. The exit from the lockdown will be differentiated and vary among regions.

"The good news is that we are able to validate deconfinement throughout the metropolitan territory. The less good news is that certain departments (in the country) have worse results than expected,"French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe confirmed on Thursday, adding that "the country is cut in two with the virus circulating more quickly in some regions".

On an updated color-coded map that classifies regions based on the virus' spread and pressure on hospitals, 32 administrative departments are in red, including the northeastern region, and Ile-de-France, also known as Paris Region, in the north-central part of France.

In the zones with risks, people will be allowed to move freely but parks, gardens and secondary schools will remain shut. Meanwhile, cafes, restaurants and secondary schools may reopen from early June in "green" regions.

France on Thursday registered 178 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, taking the tally to 25,987, while new hospital admissions continued to slow, according to its Health Ministry.

Across Europe, the coronavirus had infected 1,486,431 people and claimed 148,156 lives as of Friday morning, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.