Jean Castex and Olivier Véran during the press conference on January 7, 2021..

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Ludovic MARIN / POOL

  • Worried about the situation in the face of the coronavirus epidemic, Jean Castex has maintained all the health restrictions in force.

  • But change of tone on vaccination: while the slogan of December was "security - transparency - proximity", it becomes at the beginning of January "amplify, accelerate, simplify".

  • The profusion of details on the vaccine contrasts with the absence of benchmarks concerning the dates of reopening.

"It's out of the question to let your guard down".

During his press conference this late Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Jean Castex began with an unchanged speech: firmness in an attempt to reassure.

Worried about a "more fragile" health situation in the face of the coronavirus, threatened by the more contagious British variant, he has maintained all the health restrictions in force and intends to extend the curfew at 6 p.m. to ten new departments.

But change of tone on the vaccine policy: while the slogan hammered out in December was "security - transparency - proximity", it turned at the beginning of January into "amplify, accelerate, simplify".

First imperative of this press conference, therefore: show that France is not picking up on its vaccine policy.

And this to respond to the opposition, which accuses the government of being very late in its campaign and of not having placed additional orders in addition to those made via the European Union.

"Jean Castex played the role of firefighter on duty in an attempt to show that France was not the bad student of Europe, analyzes Alexandre Eyries, teacher-researcher in Information and political communication sciences at the 'University of Bourgogne-Franche Comté.

We are witnessing a sort of back-pedaling, like the one that existed concerning the shortage of masks at the start of the health crisis ”.

"Using figures to counterbalance the impression of vagueness"

While Olivier Véran said at the end of 2020 that he did not want to “confuse speed and precipitation”, in 2021, it is now speed that counts.

“After having taken a long time to define a method for this vaccine strategy, after having seemed hesitant, the government suddenly wants to accelerate and specify the course.

But we are more in reaction than in proactivity, ”continues Alexandre Eyries.

And to convince the French of the government's dynamism, the Prime Minister and his Minister of Health have stained their speech with statistics.

"After the 20,000 people vaccinated in ten days, another 25,000 were to be vaccinated this Thursday," said Olivier Véran.

"Vaccination centers in town will be opened in the coming weeks, first 100, then 300 then 500", he added.

Not to mention the “million” people who will have to be vaccinated at the end of January.

"Such recourse to figures is a way of providing indisputable elements, of giving consistency and clarity to counterbalance the impression of vagueness which has prevailed in recent weeks on the vaccine policy", comments the specialist. of political communication.

The technique of small steps

A profusion of details out of sync with the absence of landmarks elsewhere.

While during previous press conferences, the tenant of Matignon gave dates to set a course for the various sectors of activity impacted by closures, this time he remained much more elusive.

"Museums, cinemas, theaters, theaters, sports or leisure facilities will not experience any relaxation in the coming weeks," he said, thus showering the hopes of these sectors which hoped to reopen soon. .

As for the bars and restaurants, they will not reopen before “at least mid-February”.

A voluntary vagueness which indicates the will not to reproduce the same errors, according to Alexandre Eyries.

“Giving too precise a timetable is necessarily to run the risk of creating false hopes and ultimately giving an impression of amateurism.

The government is moving less on dates, but it is less likely to make mistakes.

Another example of this communication in small steps, the half-word evocation of a possible third confinement.

Jean Castex spoke of “additional national measures” if “this was necessary depending on the development of the coming days”.

One way, concludes Alexandre Eyries, “to lay the groundwork without setting a very dark framework”.

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  • Vaccine

  • Jean Castex

  • Olivier Véran

  • Government

  • Covid 19

  • Society

  • Coronavirus