Paris (AFP)

Emmanuel Macron has cleared the horizon for the French by evoking the possible end of confinement in the face of the coronavirus epidemic on May 11, but questions and concerns were mounting on Tuesday, in particular on the reopening of schools and the thorny question of screening.

France is approaching the milestone of 15,000 deaths from Covid-19 (14,967) but, for the fifth consecutive day, the number of patients in intensive care fell on Monday. "The epidemic is starting to slow down" and "hope is reborn," said the president during his speech on Monday evening, eagerly awaited and followed by 36.7 million viewers, an absolute record.

The government will present "a complete plan to exit" from containment "well before the date of May 11," said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday. Plan which will have to "set up the instruments, the methods, the doctrine of employment, the necessary coordination", to get out of a completely new measure and which will have lasted 8 weeks, if this date is held.

Because voices are already rising to demand clarification. "There are still too many unknowns," said the first secretary of the PS Olivier Faure, while the PCF deputies asked for "health guarantees".

- "Unnecessary risk" -

The announcement causes concern and criticism, especially among teachers. "It is anything but serious to reopen schools on May 11 because we are told that all public places are closed, cinemas, performance halls, but not schools when we know that it is a place high transmission, high contamination, there is a lack of precaution, it seems to be in total contradiction with the rest ", reacted Francette Popineau, secretary general of Snuipp-FSU, first primary union.

On the medical side, the president of the Federation of Doctors of France Jean-Paul Hamon, said he was "bothered" by an announcement that would run "an unnecessary risk".

Another strong marker, there will be no major festivals or gatherings until at least mid-July. The Avignon festival therefore threw in the towel on Monday evening. In terms of current music, the Eurockéennes in Belfort, the Francofolies in La Rochelle or the Main Square in Arras were followed on Tuesday while the Breton festival of Vieilles Charrues, the most important in France, is on hold. What will happen for the Tour de France? And the Cannes Festival?

In addition, France's borders with non-European countries "will remain closed until further notice," said Macron.

On the side of the positive reactions, the employers declared themselves "satisfied" that the president "set a course to restart the country", with the exception of the hotel and restaurant sector excluded from deconfinement. On the other hand, the boss of Medef declared "closed" the debate on his proposal to lengthen the working time post-confinement, which spiked up to the government.

Partial unemployment, which currently concerns 8 million employees, will cost 24 billion euros, said Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire on BFMTV / RMC, adding that the public effort to help the economy would reach " more than 100 billion euros The part of the solidarity fund reserved for companies threatened with bankruptcy will be strengthened and the amount of this fund raised to a total of 7 billion euros, also said Mr. Le Maire.

Beyond the maintenance of 1,500 euros for companies with a fall of more than 50% of their turnover, there is a "second stage which will be raised from 2,000 to 5,000 euros" for companies threatened with bankruptcy, further specified the Minister of Economy.

Already, 150,000 companies have used the loan guaranteed by the State to support their cash in difficulty.

But the picture is still as bleak on the economic front: the government forecasts an 8% drop in gross domestic product in France in 2020. And France should experience a public deficit around 9% of GDP this year and a debt of 115%, announced Tuesday the Minister of Public Accounts Gérald Darmanin on Franceinfo.

- Hotel quarantine? -

How to plan deconfinement? The operation could prove catastrophic if a system of massive tests and isolation of infected people were not put in place, according to a study carried out in particular by Inserm.

"We are in the process of strengthening our capacities so that we can massively (test) them when the time comes," said Minister of Health Olivier Véran in the National Assembly. However, it excluded systematic screening of the population. According to the Minister, this is not an adaptation of the policy to a shortage, as was the case for protective masks, but a strategic choice.

"Testing symptomatic people and contact people is what we recommend WHO do and what all the most advanced countries do in this area," he said, arguing that screening for the whole population, even if it were physically possible, "said nothing about the state of health of these people the next day".

As for the isolation of people tested positive, "all possibilities are under consideration, we exclude nothing", including a possible requisition of hotels, said Mr. Véran.

"For the moment, what I see is distrust, doubt and public speaking has been so discredited on the masks, on the tests, that concrete data is needed," said Mr. Faure. .

Yves Veyrier, secretary general of FO, also asked for "clarification on the tests" on BFM on Tuesday.

According to Mr. Véran "we do, roughly, today, 150,000 tests and beyond per week, we are going towards 200,000 tests per week".

burs-pgr-so / rh / cb

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