Covid-19: France's deconfinement strategy in the home stretch

The French government has stepped up consultations in recent days to refine its much-awaited deconfinement plan, in particular with local elected officials, and is working on Monday, April 27, on the final arbitrations on the eve of its official presentation to the deputies.

The stake is capital since it is a question of determining the conditions in which the activity and the daily life of the French will be able to restart from May 11, date chosen by the executive for the progressive revival of a paralyzed country by the Covid-19.

After the presentation of the "national strategy of the deconfinement plan" by Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, Tuesday afternoon in the National Assembly, a debate and a vote are planned.

Two weeks before the start of deconfinement, there are many questions: where to make masks mandatory? Which tests and for whom? Reopening of shops everywhere or by region? What about companies? What about summer vacation?

The Scientific Council responsible for enlightening the government delivered on Saturday evening its recommendations for a "gradual and controlled lifting of containment".

The government must engage in a perilous balancing act: reviving the economy without relaunching the pandemic. All in a context of distrust: the French are only 39% to trust him to deal effectively with the coronavirus, or seven points less in a week, according to an Ifop poll for the JDD.

Opposition protests

This is no doubt the reason why all-out consultations were held to make the arbitrations.

The mayors were thus received by President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, the regions and departments by Édouard Philippe on Thursday and Friday.

We will then present this strategy on the priority issues of deconfinement to associations of local elected representatives and social partners, so that a period of co-construction of the national plan and its territorial variations begins.

The goal is to "co-build" this plan with elected officials, unions and employers, assured the Prime Minister on Sunday on Twitter.

"We will then present this strategy (...) to associations of local elected representatives and social partners, so that a period of co-construction of the national plan and its territorial variations begins," said the head of government, in charge of setting the deconfinement announced in mid-April by Emmanuel Macron to music.

For their part, the opposition protested against the lack of time between the presentation to the Assembly and the vote on the same day, but the conference of Presidents of the Assembly voted against postponing the vote until Wednesday.

Nobody knows where we are going and we were forced to play a sham democracy on the National Assembly on Tuesday. We will vote against the government's plan because the date of # 11May is hazardous: will we have masks, tests and hydro-alcoholic gel? #DIMPOL

The country has been confined for almost six weeks to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, which, according to the latest report on Sunday evening, has killed 22,856 people in the country since March 1, including 242 new deaths in 24 hours.

The situation in hospitals is still improving a little with 152 deaths in 24 hours - the lowest daily assessment in five weeks - and a continuous decline for eighteen days in patients in intensive care for Covid-19 (4,682 people).

But resuscitation and intensive care services, which had 5,000 beds before the crisis, remain under pressure with another 7,553 hospitalized, all causes combined.

With AFP

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