France is a nation under siege. From this week, its borders are sealed to outsiders, and even those arriving from neighbouring European Union countries will be allowed to cross the frontier only if they produce a vaccination document or a negative coronavirus test certificate. Non-essential shops remain shut, and even supermarkets have now been ordered to close.

Of course, the French are not alone; most Europeans are in a similar predicament. Nor are France's health statistics that bad: In terms of deaths from the pandemic, the French are doing better than the British, for instance.