France will look to avoid setting different rules for older people and other forms of discrimination once the government starts easing its coronavirus confinement measures, the French President’s office said.
Speculation had grown in recent days over whether older people, who are considered more vulnerable to the deadly virus, would be told to stay at home for longer.
Comments this week in France’s Senate by Professor Jean-François Delfraissy – who heads the scientific council advising the government on the epidemic – in particular sparked a backlash, after he said that for people aged 65 or 70, the confinement order could continue.
France’s registered death toll from coronavirus infections neared 19,000 on Friday, but most data provided further indications that the spread of the disease was slowing after the one-month-old national lockdown.
France’s lockdown to combat the outbreak, which like in Spain, Italy and many other European countries includes restrictions on store openings and people’s movements, will remain in place until at least May 11, President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week.
Original: JPost