The national 6 p.m. curfew has been in place for over a month and no announcements, restrictions or relief have been made by the government. But recently, the head of state hinted that this could eventually change.
New measures within “8 to 10 days”
It is during a meeting with the various elected officials that the President of the Republic gives a new deadline concerning the restrictive measures, to face the epidemic of coronavirus. Indeed, Emmanuel Macron lets himself ” eight to ten days ” for ” decide if we tighten up or if we can relax the constraints “. Leaving a little more freedom to the population is a hypothesis still debated. It is first necessary to assess the health situation. Despite stabilizing health indicators, the circulation of variants seems to give scientists and politicians some concern. This is the case in Dunkirk, in Moselle or even in Nice, in the Alpes-Maritimes, where local weekend containment is being considered. Indeed, the incidence rate is very high in these areas. Consequently, the spread of the virus should be slowed down by taking further restrictive measures.
What would be the possible scenarios?
If the epidemic situation permits, the start of the curfew could be postponed. Some restaurants or cafes could open their terrace, respecting strict sanitary protocols. Some cultural places are likely to reopen, with a controlled number of visitors. However, nothing has been said to date. Gabriel Attal, the government spokesperson and Jean Castex, the Prime Minister, call on the French to remain ever more vigilant. They encourage them to continue to respect barrier gestures and not to lower their guard. Indeed, France has managed to avoid a third confinement, but the situation is still ” very fragile “. Within 10 days, it could therefore be that, on the contrary, the measures taken will be stricter, with local re-containment, the closure of schools or even confinements at weekends. For now, the 6 p.m. curfew seems to be bringing benefits, but the virus and its variants are still circulating at a very high level in France. According to Gabriel Attal, we must continue to observe this rule. At the same time, the vaccination campaign continues, with more than 2.5 million people who have received at least one dose of the anti-Covid vaccine.
