“We will be able to turn the page on the first act, in a way, of the crisis that we have just lived through,” Mr. Macron said Sunday.
Photo: Jean-François Frey/Maxppp/Zuma PressPARIS—French President Emmanuel Macron declared an initial victory over the coronavirus as he sought to shift France’s fight with the disease from the country’s hospital wards to the schools, restaurants and other businesses on the front lines of the pandemic’s economic fallout.
In a televised address Sunday, Mr. Macron said he would accelerate the timetable for lifting the remaining lockdown restrictions in a bid to get France’s economy back on its feet. On Monday, the government will reclassify the Paris region as a so-called green zone, which represents a lower level of threat. That means all bars and restaurants will be able to fully reopen in the capital.
Travel between European countries will also be possible starting Monday, Mr. Macron said, and nursing homes, which have been particularly hard hit by the virus, will be required to accommodate family visits.
“We will be able to turn the page on the first act, in a way, of the crisis that we have just lived through,” Mr. Macron said.
From June 22, France will reopen all of its schools except high schools, with attendance made mandatory for pupils, Mr. Macron said. He also rescheduled the final round of municipal elections for June 28.
“The fight against the epidemic is not finished but I am happy about this initial victory against the virus,” Mr. Macron said.
With the French economy expected to shrink by 11% this year, Mr. Macron said he would now shift his priority to reviving growth.
Mr. Macron said the virus had exposed France and Europe’s dependence on other continents for key goods, adding that the country needs to “build a durable, stronger economic model, work and produce more, so as not to rely on others.”
Mr. Macron touted the hundreds of billions of euros in economic aid his government had provided to business and employees, vowing to not raise taxes to finance the measures.
Mr. Macron weighed in on the debate over how to respond to world-wide movement against police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in police custody. Protests have begun to pop up across France with thousands of people gathering Saturday to demand overhauls of French policing practices.
Mr. Macron said the country needed to create better economic opportunities for minorities, adding that he planned to announce new measures to fight racism and anti-Semitism.
He also defended police as a bulwark of national stability and warned the country about sliding into divisive identity politics. Mr. Macron said his government rejected calls to remove statues tied to its colonial and slave-trading past.
“I will be very clear tonight, compatriots: the Republic won’t erase any trace or any name from its history. It won’t take down statues,” Mr. Macron said.
Write to Nick Kostov at Nick.Kostov@wsj.com
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