France24.com: [2] France has decided to allow people outside to adopt a pet from animal shelters, despite strict home confinement measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. [3] The interior ministry announced Saturday that “tolerance will be granted” for the mercy missions from Thursday after a call from the Animal Protection Society (SPA). [4] The society shut its 62 centres to the public in line with official decrees to limit contact three weeks ago. [5] But on Monday the SPA urged a re-think and warned of overcrowding with thousands of animals waiting for a new home. [6] “Fully behind the cause of animal welfare, the government has heard the SPA’s call and immediately shown the heart to find a sensible solution,” said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. [7] “It has been decided that tolerance will be granted for travel to adopt animals from shelters,” the ministry said in a statement. [8] However, it added a series of restrictions including selecting the pet online and making an appointment for it to be collected by a single person.[9] “This will enable the rules to be respected and to save the lives of numerous animals,” the ministry added.

[10] “We have 5,000 animals in our shelters and a capacity of 6,000,” said SPA president Jacques-Charles Fombonne.
France has recorded more than 13,000 coronavirus deaths.