French PM raises specter of reconfinement as COVID-19 cases rise

FILE PHOTO: French Prime Minister Jean Castex, wearing a protective face mask, attends the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

PARIS (Reuters) - France's prime minister warned on Thursday that the government could be forced to reconfine areas if the number of COVID-19 cases did not improve in the coming weeks and defended tough restrictions taken on Wednesday.

"It's a race against time," Jean Castex said on France 2 television. "The public must be attentive and prudent. If we don't act we could find ourselves in a situation similar to spring."