France President Macron orders third lockdown, closes school

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered France into its third national lockdown as the country sought to battle the third wave of Covid-19. Schools will remain shut for three weeks.

President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered France into its third national lockdown and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of Covid-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals. With the death toll nearing 100,000, intensive care units in the hardest-hit regions at breaking point and a slower-than-planned vaccine rollout, Macron was forced to abandon his goal of keeping the country open to protect the economy. “We will lose control if we do not move now,” the president said in a televised address to the nation.