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France scraps social distancing for small indoor events

Social distancing measures have been dropped in France for indoor events with fewer than 5,000 people.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced yesterday that live music can return after venues were closed due to COVID-19 in March and slowly reopened with distancing measures in place.

However, he added that large events of more than 5,000 people will remain banned until November, and that masks will be mandatory in all indoor entertainment venues, including cinemas for the foreseeable future.

Castex said, according to Le Monde: “I say to the French people, go to the cinema, go to the theatre, you risk nothing. We have to go, to the theatre, to the cinema, we have to support the cultural sector.”

The removal of social distancing at venues does not apply to the “red zones” in France where COVID-19 infection numbers are still on the rise. These include Paris, parts of Marseille, and the Bouches-du-Rhone region.

The news comes against the backdrop of a spike of the virus, with 5,429 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 in just 24 hours on Wednesday, the nation’s highest one-day total since April.