Dhaka: Starting March 19, Paris went into a month-long COVID-19 lockdown over fears of a third coronavirus wave in the country.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that the month-long limited lockdown for Paris and other regions of France has been undertaken after the country witnessed a rise in COVID-19 infections.

He informed that the new restrictions will last four weeks and are imposed on 16 regions, including the Paris area.

But the new measures are not as strict as the previous lockdown. While non-essential businesses are shut down and movement outside is restricted in the affected regions, schools and essential shops, including bookstores, are open.

People are also allowed to do outdoor exercise up to 10 kilometers (six miles) from home but do not have permission to travel to other parts of the country unless it was absolutely necessary. Those in the affected areas are to fill out a form explaining why they have left their homes.

On January 16, France launched a 6:00 pm curfew that initially planned to be rolled out for 15 days but continued to remain in place. The new rules have reduced the curfew and now begin at 7:00 pm.

With nearly 35,000 new infections, Prime Minister Castex said the third wave of infections across the country looked highly likely.

From March 19, France also resumed vaccinating people using the AstraZeneca vaccine following the EMA’s announcement that it was safe and fit for use.

The latest lockdown announcement falls on the week of the one-year anniversary of France’s first nationwide lockdown on March 16, 2020.

President Macron had strongly argued against a third national lockdown and instead preferred to enforce local restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.