France to relax nightly curfew on May 19, to scrap it on June 30 - source

FILE PHOTO: Empty Seine river banks are seen after police forced crowds of people not respecting social distancing to leave, amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, on a sunny afternoon in Paris, France March 6, 2021. REUTERS/Michel Rose

The French government will begin relaxing its COVID-19 curfew from May 19, a source familiar with the plan said on Thursday ahead of an expected announcement by President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron told local newspapers in an interview that the nightly curfew would be moved back from 1900 to 2100 CET from May 19 and to 2300 from June 9. The curfew will cease on June 30, said the source, who is from one of the regional papers.

Macron's interview is due to be published on Thursday evening.

The source also said that from May 19, restaurants, cafes and bars will be allowed to reopen their outdoor terraces. Museums, cinemas and theatres will also reopen on that day.

From June 9 foreign tourists with a "health pass" will be allowed to visit France again, the source said.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Gareth Jones)