France sinks deeper into recession, with 14% GDP hit in 2Q

France's ecomy shrank by nearly 14% in second quarter when country was in coronavirus lockdown, a third consecutive quarter of negative growth in a worsening recession, national statistics ncy said Friday. startling plunge of 13.8% from April-June starkly illustrated punishing ecomic cost of two-month lockdown.

pain was so damaging to jobs and industries that government is talking down possibility of ar nationwide lockdown as infections tick urd again. France's ecomy was alrey slowing, shrinking by 0.2% in last quarter of 2019, before pandemic hit with full force. French GDP shrank by 5.9% in first quarter of 2020 as COVID-19 patients started to flood and overwhelm hospitals.

That health crisis, with COVID-19 killing more than 30,000 people in France, prompted government in March to introduce what was one of Europe's strictest lockdowns, halting much activity in second-largest ecomy of countries that use euro currency.