Prime Minister Jean Castex held a press conference the day after the presidential announcements. The head of the French government recalled that the state of health emergency would be declared from Saturday, October 17.
Curfew
The areas affected by the curfew are Paris and the Ile-de-France region, the metropolitan areas of Lille, Rouen, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Grenoble, Toulouse, Montpellier and Aix-Marseille. It will begin on Saturday, October 17, for a minimum of four weeks. From 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., it will therefore be forbidden to leave your home. However, certain trips will remain authorized for:
- health reasons (pharmacy, doctor, hospital);
- professional reasons;
- help a loved one in a situation of dependency;
- transport reasons;
- take out his pet.
The certificate will be available on Saturday on the government website, online, in digital (smartphone) or paper format. The transport ticket (plane, train) will be valid. In addition, checks will be carried out by 12,000 mobilized police and gendarmes. People who do not respect the curfew or who do not have the exemption incur a penalty of € 135 and up to € 3,750 in the event of a repeat offense.
The entire territory placed in a state of health emergency
This state of emergency is declared for a period of 6 weeks, the time to slow down the circulation of the virus and reduce the pressure on the health system. To cope with the deteriorating health situation, strict measures must be observed by the entire population:
- all private parties (weddings, student parties, birthdays, etc.) held in establishments bringing together the public (party rooms, multipurpose rooms, etc.) will be prohibited;
- all restaurants in France must apply a reinforced health protocol (reminder book, wearing a mask except for eating, hydro-alcoholic gel available to customers, 6 people maximum at the table and closing at 9 p.m.);
- in all places where people can be seated, the rule of one in two seats must be applied and the number of visitors limited;
- in all places where people can stand, the number of visitors will be regulated (4 m² per person in shopping centers);
- reinforcement of teleworking, when the profession allows it, with a minimum tonnage of 50% of the workforce;
- reduction in the capacity of students to 50% in amphitheatres and classrooms.
An economic plan
Businesses and the population will necessarily be impacted by these new measures. An emergency economic plan is therefore under discussion, but the State has already disclosed information:
- partial unemployment 100% financed by the State will be extended until December 31;
- exemption from social contributions for VSEs / SMEs;
- strengthening of the solidarity fund, in particular for the hotel, café-restaurant, tourism, events, sport and culture sectors;
- expansion of the solidarity fund mechanism.
Read also: Covid-19: Emmanuel Macron’s announcements of October 14
