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PEOPLE IN FRANCE will begin today to experience an easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
As cases fall and vaccinations rise they will be able to enjoy indoor dining and staying out until 11:00 pm for the first time in months.
In a key new phase of the programme relaxing the lockdown, diners will be able to go inside cafes and restaurants, terrace consumption having already resumed on May 19.
The overnight curfew will now start later, at 11:00 pm instead of 9:00 pm, before being dropped entirely if all goes to plan on June 30.
And restrictions at cultural venues, which reopened on May 19, are also being eased as a sense of normality returns to France with glorious early summer weather.
“A new step will be taken”, President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter.
“Life will resume across our lands. It is part of our culture, of our art of living, that we are going to reacquaint ourselves with,” he said.
Tables of up to six will be permitted at cafes and restaurants while gyms can also reopen for clients indoors.
In virtually all of France however, masks remain obligatory even out of doors until further notice. But the latest figures suggest the health situation is improving.
The numbers in intensive care are down to 2,394 compared with 6,000 in late April.
And as of Tuesday more than 28 million people had at least one vaccine shot, nearly 43 percent of the population, and 55 percent of the adult population.
Despite the closures, France over the last half year endured less severe lockdowns than its neighbours, notably avoiding major school closures, in what was seen as a major gamble by Macron.
Its vaccine campaign got off to a wobbly start but is now seen as a success, with 700,000 jabs being given on some days.
Travel to France is also becoming easier. From today the country fully opening its borders to EU residents.
Visitors from the EU will not have to provide a negative antigen or PCR test if they have had a full course of one of the four vaccines authorised by the bloc.
Travel from other zones including the US and Britain are subject to tighter restrictions but visitors will no longer have to prove a compelling reason for a visit, so long as they have had the full course of vaccinations.
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You love me. You really, really love me…
No!
I love you..
Have to say OU182 that was a mighty fine comment.. Ireland could do with you in the department of tourism!
In fact, (my partner and I were just discussing your movie idea – which is fantastic, just think Tír na n’Óg, Children of Lír, Ireland is stuffed to the gills with fantasy ripe for the cinema, its been huge in recent years) as Ireland was on Peter Jacksons short list of locations when he thought he might not be able to film the Hobbit in New Zealand, we should be promoting the hell out of our landscape to filmakers for fantasy films, hopefully the success of Game of Thrones in the north may tempt a few more directors to take a look around this little island of ours! (There have been a few but sadly they didn’t do so well.. The classical Irish myths and legends would be big hits with audiences all over the world who have embraced them already).
It’s amazing they haven’t been done already.
Peter Jackson would be top choice for me.
Part funding is a great idea.
There’s so much fantasy stuff which could be internationally cast (they don’t all have to be Irish, we just need people who would look & sound Irish). The stories are amazing. Update them to match the current fantasy driven releases & there’s no reason they wouldn’t be hits. The tourism board & the film board could partially fund it with the remaining coming from the studio that makes it
Guillermo del Toro who was supposed to direct The Hobbit, filmed part of Hellboy II in Ireland – (from wikipedia & spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t seen it: “Nuada kidnaps his sister and critically wounds Hellboy with his spear. Unable to remove the spear shard, Liz, Abe and Krauss take Hellboy to the location of the Golden Army in The Giants Causeway County Antrim, Northern Ireland. They encounter a Bethmoora goblin, and he brings them before the Angel of Death, who has been awaiting their arrival. ”
It looks amazing on screen & is instantly recognisable. The old Irish tales are fantastic in depth & history & fantasy. A slight modernisation, a decent cast & a director who knows what to do with a good story & there’s huge potential, both in terms of box office revenue & tourism boosts (proven in the past).
Would probably be crucified for this, but if you had the likes of Chris Helmsworth or a beefed up Robert Pattinson playing CuChulain (Michael Fasbender was linked to the role a year ago but nothing happened), that would bring girls in to see it, the fantasy would bring the guys in & the quality of the stories would bring everyone else.
I should do a kickstarter to raise the funds for a proof of concept start.
Can’t beat the Táin for an epic ending – strapped dying to a rock, facing the horde. Mind you, we’d have to change the whole ‘going to war for cows’ thing a bit…
Perhaps sacred cows …. pro life pro choice
I think the funniest comments of the week are happening right now on the “Plane shot over runway into the sea” article
Ohhh we are a funny lot ;)
“THIS IS (!) A CATHOLIC COUNTRY!” lol
Exactly. Gas :)
Where’s my one about taking a shite,a good 1,000 on that baby,haha.not that I care like :-)
And the past few weeks, Christine?
Oh no, he’s kicking off again.
That’s right, Little Jim, you bow down to the Man (or in this case Woman).
That’s what she said last night!
Be nice to eachother and I’m not going to tell ye again.Now behave.
Your bullets cannot harm me.
Wehey!!!!!!!!!
So I take it ya you took on my suggestion from last week Christine, or is it a coincidence? :)
have your say