The French central bank has estimated that the economy shrank by 6 percent in the first three months of the year - the biggest drop since 1945. If confirmed in official figures later this month, it would mean that France has slumped into recession due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Bank of France said economic activity slumped by a third in the second half of March, as lockdown measures went into effect.
The French government has pumped billions of euros into efforts to support the economy, with one in four private sector workers now availing of a special government scheme for those who've been temporarily laid off.
