The French government is under fire for the planned relaxation of the lockdown. Mayors and transport companies question the feasibility of the plans.
The hard-hit France, where some 25,000 corona patients have died, wants to phase out the measures to prevent the virus from spreading.
Many children are allowed back to school from 11 May and citizens are therefore given more freedom of movement.
That plan falls badly in the densely populated region of Île-de-France. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and some 300 other mayors from that area say in an open letter to the government that it is “unrealistic” to open schools again.
Local administrators say they need more time to prepare for the reopening. For example, mouth masks must be arranged for teachers and students.
Transport companies are also concerned.
The newspaper Le Parisien reports that the national railway company SNCF and other carriers have warned that they cannot guarantee that passengers will keep a sufficient distance.
