As France extends the state of health emergency a 14 day lockdown for people arriving in the country is also proposed.

These measures are in a new draft health law aimed at preparing the country for de-confinement from May 11 and will be discussed from Monday in the Senate before being sent to the National Assembly for final adoption within the week.

France’s Health Minister, Olivier Véran, said that lifting the state of health emergency on the proposed May 23 would be premature due to the risks of a second phase of the pandemic resuming once the current confinement measures stop.

Other key proposals in the draft law are:

Mandatory confinement of 14 days for everyone arriving in France plus enforced isolation for those among this group who show symptoms of Covid-19.

For those already in France who test positive, the decision to self-isolate or go to a set isolation place, such as a state requisitioned hotel, will be left to individual responsibility and choice, said Mr Véran.

The draft law provides that measures for the obligatory isolation of people arriving in France will be taken by a state representative after medical confirmation of the infection of the person concerned.

The controversial opt-in Stop-Covid bluetooth phone app to alert people if they have been in contact with an infected person will not be available on May 11. “If this type of application were to be operational in the next few weeks, there would be a debate in the National Assembly,” it was announced.