France will reopen schools on May 11 with tests for 700,000 people per week

France has declared plans to start relaxing its coronavirus lockdown within two weeks – with schools and non-essential businesses set to reopen beginning on May 11.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced permits will no longer be needed to leave the house from that date and small museums will also be permitted to start readmitting guests.

However, people will still be directed to work from home where possible while restaurants and bars will also remain shuttered, he told parliament.

Mr Philippe credited the lockdown with saving 62,000 lives in a month, while also stressing that it will be reimposed if France’s daily infection total creeps back over 3,000 cases. Since April 15, the average number of daily cases was 2,162.

Alongside the easing of lockdown restrictions, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said a massively increased testing and contact tracing effort will be used to keep people safe.

He said the aim would be to test 700,000 people per week, with the government working to track down and trace anyone who has come into contact with a person who tests positive for the disease.