French finance minister: working from home is not panacea for virus

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire addresses a press conference after the weekly cabinet meeting in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - Working from home is still a preferred option but is not the panacea for dealing with the problems caused by the coronavirus, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday, as France looks to speed up the re-opening of its economy.

"Working from home remains preferable, in the sense that it allows us to have a gradual return and can limit the circulation of the virus. But I've always considered that working from home was not the panacea," Le Maire told France Info radio.

Even though many of France's shops and restaurants have started to re-open, the major business districts of Paris remain empty as many employees are still working from home.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Toby Chopra)