"Resuming social contact is one of the factors in public wellbeing," public health chief Jerome Salomon told the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) newspaper on Sunday.
From 19 May, cinemas will re-open with a 35-percent capacity, with no less than 400 films waiting to be screened alongside autumn releases that had their run cut short.
Museums, theatres, zoos, libraries and all non essential shops will be allowed to reopen at partial capacity, while the curfew will be pushed back from 7 to 9pm.
As for the cafés and restaurants, groups of up to six will be able to eat together as restaurants open their outdoor seating areas at 50-percent capacity.
Some restaurants will stay closed
Some restaurant owners were complaining about the limits placed on the hospitality sector, especially given the risk of rain in what has so far been a very wet month of May.
"Imagine you get the whole machine started again, create a new menu, get all your staff back, but then you have to cancel everything and throw your merchandise away because it's raining," star chef Philippe Etchebest told the JDD.
What's more, less than half of restaurants across France have space for outdoor dining, he said.
"Impossible," Etchebest concluded, adding that he would wait until the next phase of easing restrictions on 9 June, when some indoor dining and drinking will be allowed.
'Emergency brakes' still possible
Like other nations, France's reopening is possible thanks to ebbing infection numbers and an accelerating Covid-19 vaccination scheme, with 20.3 million people having received a first jab so far and 8.8 million with both doses.
President Emmanuel Macron has nevertheless warned that if infections pick up again dangerously, the government could hit the "emergency brakes" and reapply restrictions.
"We won't reach collective immunity until we've succeeded with vaccinations and reduced circulation of the virus to a minimum," public health chief Salomon said.
A "health pass" and checks on incoming travellers, especially from hotspots such as India, would remain crucial, he added.
(with AFP)
