PARIS – France’s national health agency reported a sudden jump in new virus infections -- just an hour after the prime minister announced a sweeping national reopening plan.
The agency clarified Friday that the surprising new figures were the result of a new accounting method, and not linked to a much-feared second wave of the virus.
But they highlighted concerns about the French government’s handling of the crisis, and served as a reminder that infections are continuing in one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic. “We are where we had hoped to be at the end of May, and maybe a little better,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Thursday, as he announced that r estaurants, museums and parks could reopen next week for the first