evening of November 24th local time, French President Macron delivered a televised speech at the Elysee Palace, announcing France’s next steps to deal with the coronavirus epidemic.
Macron said that the second “restriction order” in France, which began on October 30, has effectively played a role in curbing the epidemic, and France has passed the peak of the second wave of the epidemic. However, at this stage, we still need to work together and maintain high vigilance to avoid the third wave of epidemic.
Macron announced that France will gradually lift restrictions in three stages:
first phase began on November 28. At that time, under the premise of strict compliance with sanitary standards, stores selling non-essential goods will be allowed to reopen at no later than 21 o’clock. In addition, the travel restrictions of the people have been further relaxed, but travel certificates are still required, and the travel distance and time will be limited to 20 kilometers and 3 hours, respectively. In addition, students will be allowed to engage in off-campus sports activities, and religious activities will be resumed, but the venue will accommodate up to 30 people.
second phase will start on December 15. The premise is that the first phase of control is good, the number of new confirmed cases per day is not more than 5,000, and the restrictions will be relaxed. At that time, the national foot ban will be lifted, and a curfew will be replaced from 21 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, but there will be no curfew on the evening of December 24 and December 31. In addition, cultural venues such as cinemas, theaters and museums will also be allowed to reopen. But Macron also stressed that this year’s traditional festivals will be different from previous years, and he called on people to reduce unnecessary travel.
third phase will begin on January 20, 2021. The premise is that there will be no rebound in the second phase of the epidemic, and the number of new confirmed cases per day will remain below 5,000. At that time, restaurants, bars, gymsiums, gyms and other places will be allowed to open, but they must be subject to a strict sanitary inspection every two weeks. In addition, if the epidemic is good at this stage, universities will reopen and high school students will return to school in full.
Speaking of vaccination, Macron said that France will not impose vaccination, but will allow as many people as possible to be vaccinated. The first batch of vaccinations will be mainly elderly and vulnerable people, and the expected vaccination time is at the end of December or the beginning of January next year.
In addition, Macron said that the epidemic has exacerbated the economic crisis, and the French government will continue to support poor groups, working class and enterprises, and will provide more assistance to 4 million families and 1.3 million young people. Enterprises seriously affected by the epidemic will also receive financial support from the government.
