Paris
The coronavirus crisis is likely to take an even bigger toll on the French economy this year than in 2020, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned Thursday, promising to continue supporting the hardest-hit sectors. “The hardest is still to come, we’re going to have to show considerable strength of character,” Le Maire said in a video conference with the Institute Montaigne think-tank. His comments came as Prime Minister Jean Castex prepares to outline efforts to speed up vaccinations and possibly tougher measures to curb infections as the number of new cases continues to grow. Authorities reported 25,379 new daily cases and 291 deaths on Wednesday.—AFP
