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French president Emmanuel Macron has announced that lockdown measures for the Covid-19 pandemic will be extended to the whole country from Saturday for four weeks, in an attempt to curb a surge in the “third wave” of infections that is threatening to overwhelm French hospitals.

In a televised address to the nation from the Elysée Palace on Thursday night, Mr Macron also yielded to demands that he limit school attendance, announcing that home schooling would apply from Monday for a week before the scheduled spring holiday – a measure that will keep classes shut for three consecutive weeks.

Mr Macron said existing support to businesses and employees affected by the pandemic would be maintained, while the finance ministry said 150,000 non-essential shops and businesses would now be closed across France, with the total cost of emergency support running at €11 billion a month.