The French Health Ministry on Thursday said that it had detected its first case of the Indian COVID variant B.1.617 in the country. The patient was revealed to be a woman who had recently travelled to India in southwestern France and two others who had also returned from India to southeastern France.
"We have identified that it was the Indian variant from someone who had returned from India," said Benoit Elleboode, director of an agency in the southwestern department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine to BFMTV and CNews televisions. The discovery comes just days after Health Minister Olivier Veron claimed that "no case of the variant of Indian origin" had been detected in mainland France.
France had enforced stricter restrictions on travel and movement after a second wave of the virus swept across the country. On Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron announced some relief with cafes and restaurants allowed to open terrace spots and cinema theatres, museums and concert halls also set to open in May under certain restrictions.