Covid-19: France plans new safety measures but aims to avoid lockdown

France will announce new Covid-19 containment measures on Thursday as infection rates surge nationwide, but does not plan a new lockdown like some other European Union countries.

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday that the government wants to avoid major curbs on public life, preferring stricter social distancing, speeding up its vaccination booster campaign and tightening rules on using health passes.

"We must protect the French people by building on what we have, to save the end-of-year festivities and get through the winter as well as possible," Attal told a news conference.

France's health pass - which allows entry to cafes, restaurants, museums, cinemas and other public places for people who are vaccinated or have a recent negative Covid test - is a key reason why infection rates in France are lower than in neighbouring countries, Attal said.

Introduced this summer, the pass led to a spike in new vaccinations and the government could boost its efficiency by increasing control over its use.

Attal declined to specify what measures may be announced on Thursday, but the government is expected to follow health regulator HAS' advice to extend a third dose of the vaccine to everyone over the age of 40.

So far the third shot is only available for people over 65 and the vulnerable, but from December 1 also for people over 50. The government could also boost home working.

Attal said that despite new measures, the fifth wave of the epidemicwas likely to get worse in coming days.

For a similar number of new cases in August, the number of people in ICUs stood at 2,200. During the third wave, when average new cases last exceeded 20,000 in early May, the number of Covid patients was over 5,500.