Paris (AFP)
Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce Wednesday evening curfews in several large cities in France where the Covid-19 is racing, amid other new restrictive measures supposed to slow the epidemic and avoid a general containment with catastrophic economic and social consequences.
It is at 7:55 p.m. that the Head of State will speak in the village hall of the Elysée Palace for this highly anticipated 45-minute interview, on TF1 and France 2, which will be devoted entirely or almost to the health crisis. "dramatic", according to those around him.
In the meantime, the government has restored by decree the state of health emergency, which ended on July 10, from October 17 at midnight on the whole of the national territory, "so that the measures strictly proportionate to the health risks incurred can be taken ".
This regime provides a legal framework for controlling certain restrictions going as far as confinement.
Among the measures that Mr. Macron should announce, is the curfew - a "night confinement" according to some - which could be imposed from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the areas most affected from this weekend, such as Paris and its suburbs, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier, Lille or Toulouse.
The president could also recommend a maximum number of people who can be accommodated in one's home.
"In the event of a curfew, all actors will be concerned. How to explain to a restaurant owner who must close that a theater can remain open?", Assures the entourage of Mr. Macron, adding that measures are necessary "well longer "than 15 days.
"The difference in the number of dead is in the tens of thousands depending on the choices that will be made. Including the schedule of a curfew counts: one hour changes the situation," said the same source.
The hypothesis of a curfew has divided the government in recent hours.
According to a government source, at least four ministers, including heavyweights, were against, pointing in particular to the risk of a social divide, with white-collar workers being able to take refuge by teleworking in the countryside while cashiers and other workers on the front line would be reduced to metro-work-sleep.
"The situation in our country is extremely difficult," Prime Minister Jean Castex told the Senate, who will detail the new measures at a press conference Thursday afternoon with ministers Bruno Le Maire (Economy), Olivier Véran (Health), Gérald Darmanin (Interior) and Elisabeth (Work).
As of Tuesday evening, professionals in the independent catering industry were alarmed about a possible curfew which they said "would condemn thousands of establishments to bankruptcy".
Emmanuel Macron should again strongly recommend companies to use teleworking while the provisions currently in force for schools and universities will be extended, as Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer indicated on Tuesday evening.
In advance, Medef Paris denounced a possible 100% teleworking, which would amplify, according to him, the economic crisis in the capital and which "will further weaken businesses".
- "Electrochoc" -
It is especially in the private sphere that the executive hopes to see mentalities change.
“The diagnosis we make is that in all the places where we have organized things - work, schools and colleges - are not places where we have difficulties. 'we contaminate each other are in the areas of private life where we must collectively have an electroshock,' insists a minister.
This is why the president, failing to be able to ban it for legal reasons, should recommend a maximum number of people who can be accommodated in his home.
The latest figures still show an overall increase in the number of people in intensive care (1,633 for a current national capacity of around 5,000 beds) and 84 deaths in 24 hours, with an overall death toll of nearly 33,000 in seven months.
A worrying resurgence of the pandemic which leads other European countries to also toughen measures to avoid a devastating containment for the economy.
On Wednesday, Catalonia announced the closure of bars and restaurants for 15 days, while Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to impose new restrictions in Germany.
Emmanuel Macron is also expected to announce new aid to the economic and social sectors to cope with the crisis, in line with his “whatever the cost” pronounced in March.
"The French are as afraid for their health as for their jobs. We have to talk about both," said a relative of the president.
- "The French are fed up" -
"The President of the Republic will announce a turn of the screw", and "if it is necessary to go through restrictive measures the town hall will move forward with the State", affirmed to AFP an official of the town hall of Paris which envisaged to meet Thursday afternoon with the police headquarters to "organize the implementation of measures".
The opposition demands, for its part, "more coherence" and denounces the strategy of the executive which has led, according to it, to a new crisis situation.
And if on the right the president (LR) of the Senate Gérard Larcher considers that it will be necessary to accept "curfews", on the left, the bosses of EELV Julien Bayou and of the PCF Fabien Roussel judge that this would sign "an observation of failure "of the executive.
"The French are fed up" and "the acceptability of strong measures is less than in March," replied a member of the government, adding that the executive has been faced with "bad choices since March".
bur-leb-jri-jmt / jk / swi
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