France tiptoed out of one of Europe’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns, reopening shops, factories and some schools to revive the economy but wary of the risks of a second wave of infections.

With the world’s fifth-highest official death toll, France is allowing a return to workplaces with social distancing measures and reopening schools in phases. The country’s 67 million people can now leave home without government paperwork.

“Everyone’s a little bit nervous. Wow! We don’t know where we’re headed but we’re off,” said Marc Mauny, a hairstylist who opened his salon in western France at the stroke of midnight.

Read the full Reuters story here.

Commuters, wearing protective face masks, walk on a platform at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris, on the first day mask usage is mandatory in public transport, after France begun a gradual end to a nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19 on May 11. — Reuters
Commuters, wearing protective face masks, walk on a platform at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris, on the first day mask usage is mandatory in public transport, after France begun a gradual end to a nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19 on May 11. — Reuters

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