Paris (AFP)
France saw its 55th and last day on Sunday before the deconfinement, but caution remains in order not to relaunch the curve of deaths from the epidemic, the lowest since early April.
On the eve of this crucial step to try to stem the economic recession, calls are multiplying against any relaxation of attention and protective gestures. Because if it weakens, the virus continues to circulate for lack of treatment or vaccine.
Thus, the authorities renewed the calls for "vigilance" in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a region in the green zone, after the appearance of two epidemic foci, one in Dordogne after a funeral, and the other in a college in the Vienna after a back-to-school meeting.
To mark this new stage in Lille, the mayor Martine Aubry (PS) asked for and obtained an exemption for the reopening on Monday of the largest and main park in the city, that of the Citadel.
The number of victims continued to decline. The epidemic left 80 dead in 24 hours, including only four in specialized establishments and Ehpad, hard hit. This brings the total number of deaths to 26,310 since March 1, according to the Directorate General of Health.
- Not everything is settled -
Another sign of relaxation, the army field hospital deployed in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) to relieve the city hospital has had no patient since Thursday.
To frame the new stage which begins Monday, the Parliament adopted on Saturday the extension of the state of health emergency until July 10.
Four regions (Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Grand Est and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) and 32 departments in total, including Mayotte, remain classified "red" because of the always rapid circulation of the virus and the risk of saturation of the hospitals which it involves.
But even in areas classified as "green" on the epidemic map, "we must beware of thinking that everything is settled", insist the specialists.
For this reason, wearing a mask in public transport becomes compulsory, under penalty of 135 euros fine.
Access to certain stations such as the major Parisian stations may be filtered by the police, to prevent too many people from rushing there.
The state will make from Monday "10 million masks available to transport operators to distribute them to their users", including 4.4 million for the Ile-de-France region, according to the Minister of 'Interior Christophe Castaner.
The situation promises to be particularly delicate in and around the capital. To try to avoid the dreaded crowds on trains and subways, an employer certificate will be required during peak hours (6:30 am to 9:30 am, and 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm).
- Alternating circulation -
Another hot issue: the reopening of schools, with health rules that risk turning into a headache and worry local elected officials and parents.
"85% of schools are scheduled to reopen Monday (...) One million children will find their way back to school, the sanitary conditions are met", assured the Minister of Health Olivier Véran at night before the deputies.
National Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer wants all children to be able to find their school "at least once" by the end of May, he said in an interview with the Journal du dimanche.
"Nearly 86%" of the 50,500 schools in France will open from Monday, according to the minister. They will welcome "more than 1.5 million children", out of a total of 6.7 million kindergarten and elementary school children. "A large part of the remaining 14% of schools should reopen" before the end of the month, said Blanquer.
After two months confined far from their home, some of the tens of thousands of Ile-de-France residents who had chosen to leave Ile-de-France in mid-March began to return there, with apprehension for some. "It was in the green zone, in the village there must have been some cases but very few ... There we know that it is the home, the epicenter", confides Jean-Baptiste, back from two months with his family in Brittany to return to work.
If after these returns, car traffic becomes "too intense", the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo plans to ask for "alternating traffic" because "it is the health of Parisians and residents of the metropolis", where the quality air can quickly degrade, she said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche.
While five million people work remotely, the Ministry of Labor published on Saturday on its site a guide to telework for deconfinement, in the form of questions and answers, intended for employers and employees.
© 2020 AFP