Paris (AFP)

The French must "stay at home": Edouard Philippe repeated Tuesday evening the instructions for containment started at noon, removing the "controversies" around the maintenance of municipal in full pandemic of coronavirus.

Eight hours after the start of the general confinement announced the day before by Emmanuel Macron and while the death toll due to the coronavirus rose to 175 on Tuesday, Edouard Philippe urged the French to respect the rules "to protect each other and helping health services cope with the rising epidemic. "

"We urge them, firmly, to stay at home," insisted the Prime Minister, intervening from Matignon in the television news for France 2, in order to limit external contacts as much as possible.

"The instructions are clear. You stay at home except in the 5 cases listed" on the certificate allowing you to leave your home, such as professional, health or family reasons, he continued, then answering some practical questions of viewers.

Thus, questioned on the possibility or not of going to a funeral, Mr. Philippe replied: "I must be up to the duties I hold and, it's terrible to say, but no, we must respect the instructions ".

The Prime Minister also justified the holding of the first round of municipal elections on Sunday, citing "scientific reasons", when former Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn, in remarks quoted by Le Monde, alerted him to the possibility that the ballot could "probably not be held".

"If we had not taken this health event seriously, I would not have organized a meeting as early as January" and "made heavy decisions," said the head of government.

"A few months ago, there were people who said + you are doing too much + or + you are not doing enough. + In a few months, some people will say:" it should have been done differently. "These controversies, I know them, I assume them, "he added.

Mr. Philippe also reiterated, in the wake of Emmanuel Macron, that the state would make sure to preserve businesses and jobs as much as possible in the face of the economic shock, without going as far as the ban on dismissals.

"Our objective is to ensure that the economic fabric and the French productive fabric can overcome this crisis," he notably pleaded.

Asked about the reinforcement of border controls, Mr. Philippe warned that France could ban British nationals from its territory if the authorities of their country do not adopt containment measures at home.

"Everyone inside the European Union must adopt coherent methods and processes", as in Italy, France and Spain, said Philippe, adding: "It goes without saying that if neighboring states (like the UK) stayed too long "without proceeding with these containment measures, France would be reluctant to accept them.

The CFDT Customs also wrote Tuesday to the Directorate General of Customs to alert about the situation "totally abnormal and unsuitable" at the Franco-British border.

"Exempting England from measures to close the borders of countries outside Schengen is nonsense. This poses an unnecessary risk to customs officials, their families and the whole of the French population," David in his letter said in his letter. Olivier Caron, general secretary of CFDT Douane.

"We are in the process of letting go, via Calais, Lille and to the heart of Paris at Gare du Nord with Eurostar, viral bombs", he affirmed with AFP.

© 2020 AFP