Thierry Leroux runs a toy shop in central Paris. When the second lockdown came in last month, he had to once again adapt, taking his business online, allowing customers to "click and collect" products. 

"It was very hard to put in place because it was an emergency, it was the price to pay," he told CGTN Europe. 

"It took 15 days of implementation to update our website. Now it's working, so let's keep our fingers crossed that it will continue because it's a not insignificant addition."

CLICK: THE UNLIKELY SOCIAL MEDIA STAR FACING UP TO SOCIETY'S STIGMAS
 

In his speech to the nation on November 24 about how and when France will exit its latest COVID-19 restrictions, President Emmanuel Macron said non-essential shops, like Thierry's, can reopen from November 28. 

"I'm not euphoric when I calculate how much we've lost since the start of the Christmas season, because the season doesn't start in December but at the end of October," Leroux said. 

"And when we see that we've achieved between 25 percent and 30 percent of the usual turnover, we realize how much we have lost which will not be recouped in December." 

Macron laid out the government's path for how and when the country will exit lockdown as the situation in France starts to improve. 

The personal distance limit will be extended – instead of only being allowed to go 1 kilometer from home, people in France will now be able to travel up to 20 kilometers for a period of up to three hours. 

And if the daily numbers of new cases are around 5,000, the confinement measures will be lifted in mid-December. 

But it will not be a total relaxation of all restrictions as a 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew will then replace the lockdown. 

Despite the optimism on the horizon, the outlook remains bleak for the hospitality sector, which was hoping for concessions over the winter holidays. 

Cafes, bars and restaurants will have to stay closed through mid-January. 

Economic activity during France's second COVID-19 lockdown fell by about 10 percent, compared with 30 percent during the first lockdown, according to the country's finance minister, Bruno Le Maire.

"The growth forecast is at 6 percent for 2021, meaning that it takes into account the shock of this second lockdown on the French economy," Le Maire, told media on Wednesday. 

"I will not make any predictions on unemployment but I feel like the spirit of defeat has taken over many political leaders. Unlike them, I believe in the spirit of resistance, and I think our economy has the capacity to get back on its feet."

Small business owners like Leroux will be hoping for more than just Le Maire's beliefs to keep them afloat as the pandemic rescinds but its effects linger.