- Edouard Philippe presented this Tuesday a partial deconfinement plan from May 11, in stages, tailor-made according to the territories and under conditions, in the dread of a second assault of the coronavirus.
- This deconfinement will be very gradual, with a new stage on June 2 to adjust the restrictions.
- It will also vary depending on the territories, the government entrusting local elected officials and prefects with the task of adjusting this deconfinement, while appealing to the civic spirit of the French.
A speech, and a new date. During his eagerly awaited address to the Assembly on the deconfinement plan, Edouard Philippe unveiled a timetable and a new horizon for adjusting the restrictions, on June 2, three weeks after May 11, the fateful date for the lifting of containment. implemented six weeks ago to curb the coronavirus epidemic. The Prime Minister set a precise agenda, illustrating the progressiveness of the deconfinement desired by the executive, while the virus is still circulating in France. Cautious about the loosening of restrictions, the government also wants to rely on local elected officials and the civic spirit of the French to succeed in deconfinement.
A new stage set for June 2
The list of restrictions maintained is longer than that of the constraints lifted, according to the plan presented by Édouard Philippe. On May 11, children will be able to return to nursery, kindergarten or primary school, on a voluntary basis, but colleges (until May 18) and high schools will remain closed. You can travel without a certificate, but within a maximum of 100 km around your home. Telework is recommended for all businesses, and cafes, restaurants, cinemas will remain closed. Neither a festival, nor a major sporting event, and especially no weekend at the beach. The Prime Minister insisted a lot on the "progressiveness" of deconfinement.
To materialize it, he presented a new calendar. Between May 11 and June 2, "a new phase will make it possible to verify that the measures implemented make it possible to control the epidemic of coronavirus, and to assess the measures to be taken for the next phase which will go as far as summer ". A new appointment to assess the possibility of lifting or not the ban on traveling from one department to another, as summer vacation approaches.
"Reassure" and "give yourself slack"
"This gives a new horizon to the French, and slack in the government," notes Bruno Cautrès, research director at CNRS. "He gives himself some leeway to adapt, refine his decisions, and thus avoid the main communication problem he has had since the beginning of this crisis: the fact of sending contradictory messages."
A delay that can "reassure public opinion", believes Chloé Morin, researcher associated with the Jean Jaurès Foundation. "With the wavering of the executive, the French are wondering if the country will be ready on May 11 for deconfinement. The anxiety is about the how, more than the date ”. This course of June 2 "is a new reprieve" in the management of this health crisis, while 65% of French people believe that the executive is "not up to par", according to a poll published Tuesday.
The government has little choice but to procrastinate, according to political scientist Olivier Rouquan. "Edouard Philippe's speech, very clear and precise, finds its limits in the difficulty of the situation: faced with the unknown, the political decision-maker constantly adjusts his choices".
Take the time to adapt the plan to the territories
For this deconfinement, the government opted for decentralization, by delegating certain decisions to local elected officials and prefects, and by delaying deconfinement deconfinement in the departments most affected by the epidemic, via a mapping system launched on May 7. "This should allow local elected officials to anticipate, because Edouard Philippe has set a framework, but the rest is in their hands," analyzes Chloé Morin. The head of government is to meet on Wednesday with associations of local elected officials to prepare the adaptation of the plan in the territories, and from May 7 the departments will be classified by level of deconfinement more or less strict.
The task of the local actors promises to be important in the days to come. "The State is very much in the hands of local actors, and some have raised concerns or divergences on crisis management," notes Olivier Rouquan. The bet is therefore risky, not to mention that "this could be seen as a way for the government to discard the elected officials, if the framework set at the top of the state is not considered sufficient".
The call to good citizenship
In addition to the prefects, mayors and departments, the Prime Minister also appealed to individual responsibility. "Success will not rest on the sole authority of the State but on the civic spirit of the French." "It's good, but it cannot constitute a pillar of public action," says Bruno Cautrès.
No measure will stem this epidemic if the French do not apply them. If the viral chain is not replaced by a solidarity chain. From May 11, success will not rest on the sole authority of the State but on the civic spirit of the French. pic.twitter.com/jZSXOnNQBh
- Edouard Philippe (@EPhilippePM) April 28, 2020Edouard Philippe did not specify how the government will react if the decisions of local elected officials do not work, or if the French are not "civic". "There is a shadow in his speech, on possible sanctions or constraints, perhaps he wants to go gradually," says Chloé Morin. Clarifications should be made in the coming days by the ministers, with the fear of repeating the errors of the previous after-sales services of the speeches of the executive tandem.
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- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Deconfinement
- Edouard Philippe
- Confinement
- Government