MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2020) French businesses which have been closed at the order of the government to curb the second coronavirus outbreak will be able to choose between two fiscal aid options provided by the state, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.
The nationwide lockdown in the country has been in effect since October 30 in the wake of the pandemic resurgence. The French leader stressed that restaurants, bars and cafes will have to remain shut until January 20, while cinemas and museums will resume work under strict health protocols.
"All companies forced to close during lockdown (restaurants, bars, gyms, etc.) will be able to choose the preferable option for them: support up to 10,000 [$11,902] Euros from the solidarity fund or the payment of 20% of their turnover," Macron tweeted early on Wednesday.
The solidarity fund is a state reserve set up during the first COVID-19 outbreak to provide aid payments for firms hit hard by the health crisis. It has been implemented along with the partial unemployment scheme, under which companies receive state payments to partly cover wages of their employees.
On Tuesday, Macron said that starting November 28, coronavirus restrictions would be partly relieved, eyeing lifting the lockdown on December 15 if the daily average of virus infections falls below 5,000.
As of Wednesday, France has confirmed 2,206,126 COVID-19 cases and 50,324 related fatalities, posting a decline in daily numbers of infections since mid-November.
