Coronavirus in France: Government to Extend Health Emergency

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The government approves this Saturday the extension for two months of the state of health emergency against the Covid-19, but it remains under pressure to clarify the concrete modalities of the deconfinement, in particular the puzzle of reopening of schools and the controversy on the sale of masks.

Publicity

After a May 1 confined due to the coronavirus, the Council of Ministers is considering the bill extending the health emergency from May 24. Its examination in the Senate is scheduled for Monday, before it is transmitted to the National Assembly for final adoption in the week.

The text specifies that quarantine and solitary confinement, in order to combat the spread of the virus, may take place "  upon arrival on national territory  ".

The coronavirus has killed 24,594 people in France since March 1, including 218 in the past 24 hours. The tension in the intensive care unit has eased a little further with 141 fewer people, argued the Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon.

The conditions for deconfinement remain very vague

But there is still a lot of vagueness around the conditions of the deconfinement planned for May 11: the provisional map classifying the departments in green, red or orange according to the state of the epidemic and of the resuscitation services was corrected for the first time at because of counting errors which caused the discontent of the local elected officials.

Another concern is the reopening of schools. The  majority of  nursery and primary schools will be there on May 11, said Jean-Michel Blanquer at Le Figaro, with a maximum of 15 children per class. But some city officials don't want to hear about it.

Nantes mayor Johanna Rolland (PS) warned that it would be “not possible” for all children to return to school on May 11 and that the start of the school year could only be “  progressive  ”. Several mayors of Seine-Saint-Denis have also expressed their intention not to reopen their schools, worried about their possible criminal responsibility in the event of contamination of children, teachers or staff. In Paris, the reopening of schools will be reserved, at least initially, "  to a priority audience  ", that is to say children of certain professions and dropouts, said the deputy mayor in education.

Health crisis and economic crisis

To welcome students, schools will have to comply with a very strict health protocol, the main lines of which were revealed on Thursday: repeated hand washing, prohibited games, disinfection of equipment, marked traffic flow on the ground ... a puzzle for small towns.

Another source of tension in anticipation of May 11: the sale of masks which will be mandatory in public transport. Ten days after deconfinement, the government has decided to cap the selling price of surgical masks at 95 cents per unit, but not that of fabric masks, due to the variety of models and their sources.

On the economic level, the health crisis continues its ravages: the SNCF suffered a shortfall of two billion euros due to the virus, announced its CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou, considering a state aid plan and job cuts.

Economic difficulties which weigh in favor of deconfinement even if the carers worry about the possibility of a second wave. And for the first time in France, a cat has tested positive for the coronavirus, causing the Alfort Veterinary School to recommend that sick people distance themselves from their pets.

Our selection on the coronavirus

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→  Geopolitical consequences

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