The delay before receiving a booster jab in France was brought down from four to three months, the government has announced among a raft of measures to curb the impact of the Omicron variant, Euronews reports.
The measures were announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex on Monday following an exceptional cabinet meeting as the country experiences record numbers of positive cases and hospitalisations.
Cafes and bars will from January 3 and for three weeks only be allowed to serve seated customers.
“We are prohibiting standing concerts, and the consumption of food and drinks will be prohibited in all cinemas, theatres, sports facilities and public transportation, including long-distance trips,” Castex added.
"The use of remote working will be compulsory, and I mean compulsory, in all companies and for all employees for whom it is possible," the Prime Minister insisted, with a minimum of three days a week at home, four wherever possible.
Gatherings have also been limited to 2,000 people indoors and 5,000 outdoors, and face masks must be worn in city centres.
Schools will reopen from the end-of-year holidays as scheduled on January 3 and political rallies will not be concerned by the new rules for democratic reasons ahead of the presidential election in April.
New rules on self-isolation for patients and their contacts will be introduced by the end of the week as the "characteristics" of Omicron "will lead us (...) to adjust our doctrine on the duration of isolation". Currently, contacts of positive people living in the same household can be asked to self-isolate for up to 17 days which cold see hundreds of thousands of people forced at home.
However, there will be no curfew for New Year's Eve.
