Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has described today as the day “freedom will once again become the rule, and constraints will constitute an exception”.
End to 100km travel limit
Residents now no longer need to carry an attestation form to travel further than 100km from their home, and the limit has been dropped.
However, local authorities still have the power to restrict movements in their own departments if the ongoing health situation requires this.
Read more: Covid-19: France tourism boost as travel rules eased
Bars, cafes and restaurants reopen in green zones
Establishments can now open. Following recommendations from medical authority le Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique, the government has not imposed a mandatory four-metre-square limit around each table (as it had previously suggested it might), but restaurants are still required to respect strict rules, including:
- 10 people maximum per table
- At least a metre between tables and groups
- Patrons are not allowed to drink or eat standing up at the bar
Read more: Covid-19: France's restaurants can reopen from June 2
Read more: Will a mask be needed to visit a café in France?
Read more: Protective domes to help French restaurants reopen?
Terraces open only in orange zones
In orange zones - meaning Ile-de-France, and the overseas territories of Mayotte and French Guiana - only restaurant and bar terraces are allowed to reopen.
In Paris, the mayor’s office has announced that restaurants will be permitted to “spread out” into public spaces, including in parking areas, pavements, and even in certain streets. There will still be some conditions, as well as the health rules, including “no noise, no music, and closure at 22h”.
Hotels and campsites in green zones
Hotels, campsites, tourist accommodation such as gites and B&Bs, and holiday villages may now open in green zones.
In orange zones, these will need to wait until June 22, as will summer camps.
Read more: When will campsites open in France?
Read more: Covid-19: France tourism boost as travel rules eased
Parks and gardens, beaches and lakes
These will now reopen to the public across the country, in all zones. This includes public parks, gardens, forests, watersports centres, lakes, and zoos (with the latter requiring a mask).
Cultural and sports centres
Swimming pools, gyms, sports halls, leisure parks, performance halls and theatres are now able to reopen in green zones. In orange zones, these will reopen from June 22.
Amateur group sports remain banned until June 22, but professional sports can now restart “within a strict protocol”, Mr Philippe said.
Cinemas will stay closed until June 22 everywhere. Casinos are now open in green zones, with masks obligatory.
Read more: 20 pools to reopen with new rules in France
Read more: Covid-19: France plans gradual sporting return
Large museums and monuments
These can now reopen in theory, but in practice, this will be a gradual process, with establishments reopening over the next month and a half.
For example, le Château de Chambord is set to reopen on June 5 and le Château de Versailles on June 6. But, the Musée d'Orsay will only reopen on June 23, and le MuCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée) in Marseille, only on June 29.
The Pompidou Centre will reopen on July 1, and the Louvre museum on July 6. You are advised to check before travelling.
Wearing a mask will be mandatory in museums and tourist areas, and physical distancing measures must be respected.
Some small museums and cultural centres have been open since May 11.
Weddings now allowed
Weddings in religious sites or Mairies will now be allowed, but physical distancing measures must remain in place for guests.
However, public gatherings may not include more than 10 people, and parties and gatherings (such as drinks receptions, dinners or dancing) of more than 10 people must now be held in a private space.
Public gatherings
Public gatherings of more than 10 people will not be allowed until June 21, except in certain exceptional cases.
Events and gatherings of more than 5,000 people are set to remain banned until at least August 31.
Discotheques and clubs remain closed until further notice.
Mandatory masks on public transport
Wearing a mask on public transport at all times is mandatory for “everyone over the age of 11”, including on trains, planes, boats, the Metro, in airports and train stations, in taxis and in VTCs (such as Uber cars).
In Ile-de-France, an attestation signed by your employer is still required to travel at peak times, and this will continue “until at least June 22”, said junior transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari.
Train services still reduced
SNCF has put 50% of its tickets on sale so far, and plans to extend this to 100% of seats from mid-June when the current physical distancing rules (including allowing the sale of only 50% of seats) will be lifted.
Flights to Corsica and overseas territories still restricted
Flights to and from Corsica, and overseas departments and regions are still banned until further notice, except for “an imperative or urgent professional or family reason” that cannot be postponed.
Foreign travel still restricted
Border restrictions remain in place until June 15. France has said that it is in favour of lifting border controls within Europe “without quarantine” if the health situation allows.
Yet, it has said that it will impose a “reciprocal” voluntary, 14-day quarantine for travellers arriving from countries that themselves have quarantines in place for people arriving from France.
Read more: French airports prepare to reopen
Read more: Read more: UK clarifies 14-day quarantine rules
The StopCovid app is now available to download
The track and tracing app, which uses Bluetooth, is now available to download for Apple and Android smartphones. It will alert people if they have been within a metre of someone later diagnosed with Covid-19, for longer than 15 minutes. Contacts and at-risk people will be advised to self-isolate and be tested.
Read more: France StopCovid app: How it works and how to get it
Collèges and lycées
All collèges and schools on mainland France will now reopen, as will lycées in green zones.
These will reopen gradually, so not all students will restart classes today.
Masks are mandatory for all students when moving around, and for all staff taking care of children. Teachers, however, do not need to wear a mask “when they are giving a class and are at least one metre away from students”.
All of these rules are set to be re-evaluated from June 22.
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