France aims to lift a nationwide lockdown on 15 December, President Emmanuel Macron said, with shops authorised to reopen as early as Saturday following weeks of closure.
In a TV address this evening, Mr Macron said some restrictions would remain in place to avoid "a third coronavirus wave" or another lockdown.
The current lockdown, in force since the end of October, will be replaced by a countrywide curfew from 9pm to 7am, starting 15 December.
Mr Macron said Christmas Eve and New Years Eve would be exempt from the curfew. "We will be able to travel without authorisation, including between regions, and spend Christmas with our families," he said.