The Bank of France noted that in the first trimester of 2020, the economy reported its worst setback since 1945, amid the paralyzation of several sectors as a consequence of the pandemic, for which the government decreed a general quarantine in mid-March.
The GDP had fallen 0.1% in the last trimester of 2019, due to the strike called by trade unions to protest against an unpopular reform of the pension system.
According to the Bank of France, economic operations dropped by 32% in the second half of March, due to the isolation measures taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus, considering data provided by 8,500 companies.
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