A new lockdown to curb the Covid-19 virus in France can only be a last resort, said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who added that the country's current curfew measures are delivering results in terms of trying to contain the virus.

Le Maire told RTL radio that France's current curfew from 6pm to 6am cost the economy around six billion euros ($7.3 billion) a month whereas a full lockdown would cost it around 15 billion euros a month.

France decided against imposing a third nationwide coronavirus lockdown on Friday.