The government had conditioned the easing of restrictions on the number of new cases falling to around 5,000 a day. But that number remains well above 10,000 – on Thursday, there were 13,750 infections.

“We aren’t yet at the end of this second wave, and we won’t reach the objectives we had set for 15 December,” Mr Castex told a news conference. “We can’t let down our guard. We have to stay focused, and find our way through the next few weeks with lots of vigilance.”

Museums, cinemas and theatres as well as sports venues, which were expected to reopen on Tuesday, will remain closed for an extra three weeks.