France’s Delfraissy: New COVID lockdown may be extended beyond December 1

France’s nationwide lockdown could be extended beyond its initial December 1 deadline, the Government’s Scientific Adviser Professor Jean-François Delfraissy said on Thursday.

Delfraissy said: “By December 1, we will not be at 5,000 contaminations per day. I can tell that to you straight away today. We will need more time.”

His comments come after President Emmanuel Macron said late on Wednesday that lockdown measures could be rolled back once the infections fell back to about 5,000 per day from around 40,000 per day at the moment.

Related reads

• Macron: Officially announces new lockdown measures, EUR under pressure
• Germany's Merkel: Risk is rising that more vulnerable people will get infected