‘Idiots’ may extend French lockdown

France's two-week lockdown to try to stem the coronavirus is likely to be extended, officials said yesterday, as the interior minister blasted "idiots" who are flouting the home confinement rules.

President Emmanuel Macron ordered French residents to stay at home from Tuesday except for essential excursions such as going to the doctor, walking the dog, or going for a solitary run, and banned any gatherings.

People can go to work only if homeworking is not possible.

But news reports have shown groups of people strolling in parks and the one-metre (three feet) safe inter-personal distance has been frequently ignored.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner accused people of underestimating the risk, telling Europe 1 radio: "There are people who think they are modern-day heroes by breaking the rules while they are in fact idiots."

Some officials have called for even stricter limits and Paris police are mulling closing riverside walkways -- a move already enforced in Bordeaux.

Macron yesterday urged companies and workers to continue their activities "in compliance with the health safety rules".

Genevieve Chene, who heads France's public health agency, said two to four weeks of confinement are needed for the outbreak to be adequately contained.

"It is likely that it is indeed necessary to extend (the containment measures) in order for the braking to be sufficient," Chene said.

The timing will depend largely on how closely people conform with the confinement measures, she said, adding that France's peak was likely to be around the middle or end of May.

Meanwhile, the French government has started requisitioning hotel rooms for homeless people to occupy during the confinement period, Housing Minister Julien Denormandie announced.

More than 170 rooms will be made available in Paris by the end of the week and the government has identified 80 sites elsewhere for an estimated 250,000 homeless.

Some 50 million euros has been set aside for the project.