France: the reconfinement decided by Macron does not achieve consensus
Opponents of the reconfinement announced by President Emmanuel Macron for the whole of France criticize the lack of anticipation, especially during the rise in contamination in August 2020. © Charles Platiau / Reuters
Text by: RFI Follow
5 mins
After the announcement of a re-containment aimed at stemming the second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, the reactions of the French reflect a total lack of consensus.
Long awaited by health professionals, Emmanuel Macron's decision saddens the economic world.
Among its detractors, the criticism of the government is the same: the lack of anticipation.
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With
Bruno Faure,
from the Economics department of RFI and
Aram Mbengue,
from the France Sciences department of RFI
You just have to read a few headlines in the regional press, since all of metropolitan France is once again under cover.
“
Sleep, work, sleep
”, “
A closed month
”, “
An endless day
”.
A real current of skepticism runs through the population, relayed by the opponents of the Head of State.
Admittedly, they call to respect the instructions, but they denounce in chorus a failure of the strategy of the executive.
The lack of anticipation of the second wave, the failure of the deconfinement of the summer, the borders that remain open, and then the vagueness on the new measures with economic consequences that are too little taken into account.
The economic world is also not at all satisfied.
The president of Medef, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux repeated it: this confinement bis will "
cause considerable damage
".
He understands the dismay and anger of traders as Christmas approaches.
Lots of restaurateurs say they are going to close permanently.
And these announcements of restrictions, not only in France for that matter, worry investors.
All financial markets closed very sharply on Wednesday.
►
To read also: Reconfinement in France: Macron wants to avoid a collapse of the economy
Physician satisfaction
Emmanuel Macron's decision, on the other hand, was eagerly awaited by health workers, the majority of whom are satisfied.
"
The issue of confinement is an issue of national solidarity on which the effectiveness of the device will be based,"
warns Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris.
All the doctors implore the population to respect all the instructions so that this impact is positive on our ability to treat the population, and that confinement is limited to the time strictly necessary.
"
The announcement of the reconfinement by Emmanuel Macron was also welcomed with satisfaction by the BLOC union, which brings together surgeons, midwife gynecologists and anesthetists from the private hospital sector.
"
During the month of confinement, we must maintain a certain number of health activities, and that is important because we have had consequences, people who have not been operated, cancers that have not could be treated during the first wave,
underlines Doctor Bertrand Rochambeau, co-president of the BLOC union.
So we must continue to seek treatment.
But above all, we must prepare the deconfinement, because otherwise, we will do ad vitam æternam "stop, go, stop, go", which is a strategy which does not solve the cause and which does not solve the problem
.
"
Bertrand Rochambeau recommends two measures to be prepared already: “
First measure, these are rapid tests.
In less than thirty minutes, we must be able to test to isolate people and protect.
And that will really break the epidemic.
And the second thing is to prepare the hospital.
It shows that our health system is on its knees.
"
Doubts about keeping schools and high schools open
Before the president's speech, many hospital officials urged re-containment.
"
We are entering winter, the fight will be long, the demand from hospitals will be marked, there are other epidemics ... We will not be able to deprogram as we did in the spring
", explained Frédéric Valletoux , president of the Hospital Federation of France (FHF), calling for a “
total reconfinement
” which nevertheless leaves access to nursery and primary schools.
For him, "
the objective is not to stop social life, it is to curb the number of patients and ensure that the hospital lines hold, which is today damn questioned
".
However, maintaining the opening of schools, including for high school students, young adults and therefore just as contagious, is not unanimous.
It is an "
error
" reacted this Wednesday evening doctor Jérôme Marty, president of the UFML, the union of liberal doctors.
“
This is completely silly.
The virus continues to circulate, in schools it makes a very nice nest for Covid and afterwards they (the children) bring it home,
”also estimates epidemiologist Catherine Hill.
President Macron announced reinforced protocols in schools.
But for the teachers' unions, things will have to be clarified very quickly.
How to limit groupings?
How to better ventilate the premises, including in winter?
Questions that they have been asking themselves for several months.
(and with
AFP)
►
To read also: Covid: the main announcements of Emmanuel Macron on the reconfinement
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