France estimates loss of economic activity due to coronavirus at 35% (official estimate)

The confinement measures to fight the coronavirus cause a loss of economic activity of around 35% in France, with a “quite heterogeneous” effect depending on the sector, the National Institute of Statistics estimated on Thursday.

The institute, which compares “this week’s level of activity with what could be expected in a normal week”, also considers that a month-long confinement would translate into a three-point year-on-year drop in Gross Domestic Product ( GDP).