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  • Pandemic: De-escalation in France: zoning, Paris metro for workers only and closed borders

France is ready to take a new step in de-escalation next Tuesday, June 2, after a two-month confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic and after a significant improvement in the last two weeks in health indicators in the whole of the country.

"On the health front, the news is rather good," French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced Thursday , detailing the phase 2 plan for confinement. "Good, but not good enough for everything to return to normal," warned the head of government, who recommended the French use of masks in public spaces and maintaining distance at this stage.

"The virus is still present throughout the territory, but its speed of spread is currently under control. We are where we expected to find ourselves at the end of May , and even a little better than we expected. This is very good news." Philippe added.

Almost the entire national territory becomes "green zone" (least affected by the pandemic), with the exception of Ile-de-France (Paris region) and the overseas departments of Guyana and Mayotte, which remain orange. At the start of the de-escalation, Paris and the northeast of the country were in the "red zone", the most affected by the coronavirus.

New phase and new rules. "During this phase 2, freedom will finally become the rule and prohibition will be the exception," added Philippe.

The French will be able to move from Tuesday throughout the national territory . In phase 1, they could only do it a hundred kilometers around their home and during the confinement the rule of one kilometer governed.

Cafes, bars and restaurants will reopen on June 2 in the green zone, while in the orange zone, such as Paris, only the terraces will be authorized to open to the public. However, consumption at the bar will be prohibited.

The French will also be able to enjoy the parks and gardens from Tuesday, as required, among others, by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo . They have been closed since March 16.

The swimming pools, gyms, amusement parks, performance halls and theaters will open on June 2 in the green zone and on June 22 in the orange zone. Museums will do so on June 2 and cinemas on June 22 throughout the country , but for the time being, the French Football League is not back.

The Prime Minister was in favor of reopening the internal borders of the European Union from June 15, if the health situation allows it and without quarantine for European travelers . But he cautioned that if a state quarantines French travelers, they will do the same by reciprocity.

Philippe was sympathetic regarding the decisions made by Italy and Spain in the matter of borders and considered that their governments "do not take decisions lightly", since they take into account the health situation in the country. "We make decisions at our own pace," added the prime minister.

Philippe invited the French to download the government application to track "StopCovid" infections on their mobile phones. "This application is not a magic weapon, it is an instrument" in the fight against the coronavirus, the prime minister warned.

This controversial application will alert people who were in contact "less than a meter and for more than 15 minutes" with a person positive for coronavirus, so that they can go to the doctor and have a Covid-19 test to see if they have become infected.

The use of this application will be voluntary, which can make it less effective in tracking coronavirus cases. Civil rights organizations claim that their use violates fundamental freedoms . "The application will never geolocate them" and will be "anonymous", the Prime Minister reassured the French.

All secondary school students will be able to return to class if they wish from June 2, although in the orange areas some will do so one day later than in the green area. France already opened the doors of kindergartens and primary schools on May 12 on a voluntary basis and under strict health protocol. Only 20% of primary school students have returned to class.

France is the third European country with the highest number of deaths (27,117), behind the United Kingdom (37,542) and Italy (33,072), according to the Johns Hopkins University count. Spain ranks fourth with 27,117 deaths.

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

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