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Friday

France Eases Some Pandemic Restrictions And Will Reopen Restaurants, Bars And Parks

People stroll near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday. France is entering its second phase of lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Michel Euler/AP hide caption

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Michel Euler/AP

Coronavirus Updates

France Eases Some Pandemic Restrictions And Will Reopen Restaurants, Bars And Parks

"It will be so nice to be able to go lie on the grass in a park and have a picnic or to sit at a sidewalk cafe again," says a Paris resident. Restaurants and bars will reopen with restrictions June 2.

Thursday

3-Star Michelin Chef Guy Savoy Has Begun Offering Takeout In Paris

French chef Guy Savoy poses with a face mask in the kitchen of one of his restaurants, in the Monnaie de Paris building, on Tuesday. Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

3-Star Michelin Chef Guy Savoy Has Begun Offering Takeout In Paris

As France emerges from two months of lockdown, restaurants still have no reopening date. Among other dishes, Savoy is offering a poultry ballotine with foie gras in a truffle vinaigrette for takeaway.

3-Star Michelin Chef Guy Savoy Has Begun Offering Takeout In Paris

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Friday

French Drug Giant Sanofi Takes Heat After Suggesting U.S. May Get 1st Vaccine Access

Remarks by Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson provoked an uproar in France this week about access to a future COVID-19 vaccine. Edward Berthelot/Getty Images hide caption

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Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

French Drug Giant Sanofi Takes Heat After Suggesting U.S. May Get 1st Vaccine Access

An uproar followed comments by Sanofi's CEO that if the company develops a vaccine, doses would likely go to Americans first. The board president later insisted, "Any vaccine will be a public good."

French Drug Giant Sanofi Takes Heat After Suggesting U.S. May Get 1st Vaccine Access

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Friday

French Education Minister Says School Reopenings Will Be Done 'Very Progressively'

French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron participate in a video conference with mayors and directors of schools at the Pierre Ronsard elementary school in Poissy, west of Paris, on Tuesday. Ian Langsdon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ian Langsdon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

French Education Minister Says School Reopenings Will Be Done 'Very Progressively'

France's minister of education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, talked with NPR about the gradual reopening of schools, which will be voluntary. Still, many parents and administrators are against the plan.

In 'Dirt,' Bill Buford Is Able To Offer An Authentic Adventure In French Cooking

Cooks work in the kitchen of the Paul Bocuse's restaurant "L'auberge du Pont de Collonges" on the eve of the official reopening after renovation works, on Jan. 23, in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or near Lyon, southeastern France. Philippe Desmazes/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Philippe Desmazes/AFP via Getty Images

Review

Books

In 'Dirt,' Bill Buford Is Able To Offer An Authentic Adventure In French Cooking

As a longtime Paris resident, at first I feared Dirt might be yet another expat tale of moving to France en famille, with all its tedious clichés. I should have known better.

Wednesday

In France, A New App Is Helping Doctors Monitor COVID-19 Patients Remotely

People work in a call center of Covidom, a new remote medical monitoring app, inside the Paris public hospitals' Campus Picpus last month. Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

In France, A New App Is Helping Doctors Monitor COVID-19 Patients Remotely

The Covidom app allows thousands of patients with non-critical cases of COVID-19 to ride the virus out at home. They answer questions on a range of health indicators and doctors follow up by phone.

Friday

Several European Leaders See A Popularity Boost During Coronavirus Pandemic

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a video conference call with French virologist Françoise Barré-Sinoussi on efforts to develop a vaccine and treatment against the new coronavirus, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday. Yoan Valat/AP hide caption

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Yoan Valat/AP

The Coronavirus Crisis

Several European Leaders See A Popularity Boost During Coronavirus Pandemic

Even after Europe became an epicenter in the global spread of COVID-19, a number of leaders have had growing approval from their citizens.

Wednesday

On Fire Anniversary, Notre Dame Bell Rings But Pandemic Has Stopped Restoration Work

Notre Dame cathedral is seen at sunset Tuesday, after repair work stops due to the coronavirus outbreak. Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the devastating fire that destroyed many parts of the Gothic cathedral. Chesnot/Getty Images hide caption

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Chesnot/Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

On Fire Anniversary, Notre Dame Bell Rings But Pandemic Has Stopped Restoration Work

Before France's lockdown began on March 17, around 100 workers were present at the site. Now only a security team guards the entrance. Work to clear debris was to have begun last month.

Tuesday

Tour De France Sets New Dates Following Macron's Ban On Gatherings Until Mid-July

Spectators watch cyclists compete in the fourth stage of the Tour de France in eastern France last July. Organizers say the 2020 race will begin in late August. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Tour De France Sets New Dates Following Macron's Ban On Gatherings Until Mid-July

The three-week cycling race will now begin in late August. Organizers dismissed the idea of holding the Tour while banning spectators from lining the course.

Thursday

Nearing Anniversary Of Devastating Fire, Notre Dame To Host A Good Friday Service

April 15 will mark the first anniversary of the 2019 fire in Notre Dame cathedral. A small service will be livestreamed on Good Friday. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Nearing Anniversary Of Devastating Fire, Notre Dame To Host A Good Friday Service

April 15 will mark the first anniversary of the fire that ripped through the cathedral. The Paris archbishop says he wants to send a "message of hope" through a small Good Friday service.

Nearing Anniversary Of Devastating Fire, Notre Dame To Host A Good Friday Service

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'Boulangeries Are Helping Us Make It Through': In France, Bakeries Remain Essential

Tony Doré wears a face mask as baguettes cool in his bakery in Paris' 15th arrondissement. Eleanor Beardsley/NPR hide caption

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Eleanor Beardsley/NPR

The Coronavirus Crisis

'Boulangeries Are Helping Us Make It Through': In France, Bakeries Remain Essential

In a country that consumes 10 billion baguettes every year, "If the bakeries started closing, people would be unnerved," says Paris baker Tony Doré. His boulangerie now stays open seven days a week.

'Boulangeries Are Helping Us Make It Through': In France, Bakeries Remain Essential

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Wednesday

French Aircraft Carrier Returns To Port After Suspected COVID-19 Cases Found Aboard

French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle cruises at the coast of Frederikshavn in Denmark on March 29. The carrier is returning to home port after suspected cases of COVID-19 were found aboard. Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

French Aircraft Carrier Returns To Port After Suspected COVID-19 Cases Found Aboard

France's armed services ministry said in a statment that about 40 sailors aboard the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle were under "close medical observation" after showing symptoms.

Saturday

German, French Officials Accuse U.S. Of Diverting Supplies

Security with face masks stand in front of the Signal Iduna Park, where a temporary coronavirus treatment center opened in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday. Germany has the fourth-most COVID-19 cases in the world and demand for medical supplies has skyrocketed. Martin Meissner/AP hide caption

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Martin Meissner/AP

The Coronavirus Crisis

German, French Officials Accuse U.S. Of Diverting Supplies

Officials in France and Germany have accused the U.S. of intercepting medical supplies as President Trump ordered an American company to stop exports. Governors complain of a "wild west" in bidding.

Tuesday

France Announces Plan To Aid Domestic Abuse Victims During Coronavirus Crisis

French secretary of state for equality between men and women, Marlène Schiappa, in Paris in 2017. Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

France Announces Plan To Aid Domestic Abuse Victims During Coronavirus Crisis

Confinement can create "fertile ground for domestic violence," says the country's minister for gender quality. France is also creating support sites for women at supermarkets and pharmacies.