France

The first case of COVID-19 in France was confirmed on 24 January 2020. In late February, an outbreak following a large religious gathering accelerated the spread of the virus. In mid March, the government closed schools and universities, followed by gatherings of more than 100 people, and later all non-essential public places. From 17 March, with 7,730 reported cases, the government imposed stay-at-home requirements which are expected to be lifted in early May.

Key statistics

  • Confirmed cases

    178,349

  • Cases per 100,000 people

    265.89

  • Deaths

    26,994

  • Recovered cases

    57,898

  • Days since first case

    110

  • Days since 100 cases

    74

  • Days since highest daily increase

    31

These statistics were last updated for 15 May 2020 and are drawn from the Coronavirus COVID-19 Daily Cases dataset, published by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University, via API by Laeyoung.

French Government COVID-19 policies

Last updated 22 April 2020

Government

Public services

25 March 2020
Closed courts except for urgent matters
23 March 2020
Required public transport employees to take measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Policing and justice

25 March 2020
Closed courts except for urgent matters

Emergency government

23 March 2020
Authorised requisitioning resources and premises
18 March 2020
Created a crisis organisation for non-health issues
18 March 2020
Declared a state of health emergency
17 March 2020
Postponed city elections

Education

04 March 2020
Permitted local authorities to close schools and asked children of sick people not to attend
29 February 2020
Banned gatherings, closed schools, and discouraged going out in “cluster” areas

Economy

Business support

25 March 2020
Prohibited penalties or disconnection of utilities for small businesses as a result of failure to pay bills
23 March 2020
Created a solidarity fund for companies particularly affected
18 March 2020
Guaranteed loans to businesses
18 March 2020
Deferred taxes and social security payments for businesses

Industry interventions

25 March 2020
Allowed tourism operators to provide reimbursements in kind

Movement of people

Physical distancing

23 March 2020
Closed many establishments to the public
23 March 2020
Closed schools and universities
23 March 2020
Prohibited certain funeral practices
23 March 2020
Implemented protections for cab drivers
23 March 2020
Required all people to stay at home except for essential purposes
23 March 2020
Required truck drivers to take certain measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19
23 March 2020
Banned gatherings of more than 100 people
18 March 2020
Asked people to stay home
04 March 2020
Permitted local authorities to close schools and asked children of sick people not to attend
04 March 2020
Prevented employees from exercising their “right to withdraw” provided employers follow health guidelines
29 February 2020
Banned gatherings of more than 5,000 people in closed spaces
29 February 2020
Banned gatherings, closed schools, and discouraged going out in “cluster” areas

Border measures

23 March 2020
Limited travel to and from overseas territories of France
23 March 2020
Prevented cruise ships docking and limited the number of people on boats
29 February 2020
Advised people in France to follow the EU travel advisory
29 February 2020
Ended requirement for travellers from high risk zones to isolate

Healthcare

Medical products and medicines

23 March 2020
Authorised pharmacies to extend the length of prescriptions and create hand sanitiser substitutes
23 March 2020
Authorised certain drugs to be used to treat COVID-19 patients
23 March 2020
Instituted price controls on hand sanitiser
23 March 2020
Distributed free masks to health care professionals
18 March 2020
Provided additional funding to hospitals for personal protection equipment and salaries
04 March 2020
Requisitioned specialised masks to provide to healthcare professionals
29 February 2020
Advised against wearing masks to prevent shortages

Health services

23 March 2020
Distributed free masks to health care professionals
18 March 2020
Provided additional funding to hospitals for personal protection equipment and salaries
12 March 2020
Suspended non-urgent medical services

Healthcare workers

18 March 2020
Provided additional funding to hospitals for personal protection equipment and salaries

Help us improve our coverage

COVID-19 Policy Watch is a non-profit project run by volunteers. Your support will allow us to add new countries and build new functionality.

Donate

COVID-19 Policy home page image

Something missing? Help us fix it

COVID-19 Policy Watch is a collaborative project, created by volunteer researchers, journalists and policy experts from around the world. If you can help us add a country or keep policies updated, join our team. If you spot an error, let us know and we’ll do our best to fix it.

Join our teamSend an update or correction

COVID-19 Policy Watch is created by Policy, a public interest media organisation that creates digital tools to support democracy. This project is published in partnership with a network of national media organisations, including The Spinoff (New Zealand) and Knack (Belgium). If you are interested in becoming a publishing partner, get in touch.