France grants citizenship to 12,000 COVID frontline workers

• "These frontline workers responded to the call of the nation," France’s citizenship minister, Marlène Schiappa, said in a statement. "The country pulled through thanks to them."

Details: Under the special program, France sped up cases for 12,012 new nationals out of more than 16,300 people who applied for citizenship, and decreased the requirement for residency from five years to two.

• Newly minted citizens include doctors, nurses, cleaning staff, cashiers and garbage collectors, according to Schiappa.

Worth noting: Countries including Britain and the U.S. have faced calls to extend visas or allow indefinite residence for immigrant workers, the Washington Post reports.