France implemented unprecedented peacetime measures with a nationwide lockdown starting March 17, 2020, lasting at least 15 days. The COVID-19 pandemic continued its global surge.
President Emmanuel Macron's address was followed by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner's announcement of deploying 100,000 police and gendarmes nationwide to enforce the lockdown. The public was urged to stay home, with measures mirroring those in Italy and Spain.
Checkpoints were established on major roads by Monday evening, and citizens received an SMS alert (see below). Travel required a self-declaration form for essential reasons like remote work limitations, medical needs, or brief errands.
As of March 16 evening, France reported 6,650 cases and 148 deaths.
Download the official self-declaration form from the government website here.
Worldwide, the pandemic tallied nearly 180,000 cases, over 7,000 deaths, and about 80,000 recoveries. Italy faced the gravest situation in Europe with 27,980 cases and 2,158 deaths, followed by Spain (9,942 cases, 342 deaths), Germany (7,272 cases, 17 deaths), Switzerland (2,330 cases, 19 deaths), and the UK (1,553 cases, 55 deaths).
While China and South Korea saw improvements, Iran reported 14,991 cases and 853 deaths. The US cases rose to 4,661 with 85 deaths.
The epidemic spread to South America and Africa, poised as the third wave after Asia and Europe.
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