The country that burned masks: inside France’s coronavirus response

President Macron is paying a high political price for failing to contain the pandemic

President Macron wearing a mask during a visit to a car factory
President Macron is paying a high political price for failing to contain the pandemic
(Image credit: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty)

When Boris Johnson was riding high in the polls back in April and even Donald Trump was a little more popular than usual, Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating hit rock bottom.

Two-thirds of French voters said their president was doing a bad job - a damning result that Politico attributes to a combination of “French exceptionalism” and the failure of the state to meet high expectations.

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