Removal of the travel limit more than 100 km from his home, reopening of high schools, coffee shops and parks, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced Thursday the lifting of many restrictions put in place to fight the epidemic of coronavirus, as part of the second phase of deconfinement. But this plan has been discussed behind the scenes until the last moment.
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Philippe was pleading for the reopening of the parks this weekend
In the closed-door meeting of the Defense Council on Thursday at the Élysée Palace, the head of government pleaded for the reopening of the parks and gardens this weekend. For his part, his Minister of Health Olivier Véran hammered out the need to limit gatherings inside. A participant said that there were long debates on the reopening of bars and restaurants.
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In the end, a consensus was reached, with a return to normal except for Île-de-France, Guyana and Mayotte, where only establishments with a terrace will be authorized to serve customers for the time being. A solution that Emmanuel Macron seemed to regret in private, explaining that he was not convinced by this measure, and that he would be advised to re-study the total reopening of restaurants before the announced date of June 22.