Emmanuel Macron in front of a Christmas tree at the Elysee

Palace

on December 16, 2020. -

NICOLAS MESSYASZ / SIPA

  • As Christmas approaches, the government lifted the lockdown on Tuesday despite circulation of the Covid-19 virus above its targets.

  • It is a question of "enjoying" the holidays, according to the Prime Minister, but with caution.

    To avoid an epidemic rebound after vacations and family gatherings, the government insists on individual responsibility.

  • To know if this bet worked, we will have to wait for the epidemiological data at the beginning of January.

Will the end of year holidays be a new test for the executive?

After deconfining the country, despite unfulfilled targets for Covid-19 cases, the government now insists on individual responsibility.

With restrictions - curfews, closure of certain public places such as museums or bars… - and recommendations, he hopes to limit contamination during family reunions for Christmas and the end of the year.

Deconfinement maintained despite bad figures

"Logic would probably have ordered" to maintain the restrictions for Christmas, admitted Prime Minister Jean Castex on December 10, but this holiday occupies a "special place in our lives and our traditions".

Indeed, the coronavirus epidemic is far from having slowed down sufficiently.

About 12,000 daily new positive cases have been recorded on average over the past seven days, more than double the target set by the head of state of 5,000 new daily cases.

Figures that raise fears of an epidemic resumption, especially since the end of year celebrations will be conducive to travel on the territory and private gatherings.

“This is not an ideal situation, far from it, even if we observe a drop in hospital pressure,” notes the Ministry of Health.

Despite these figures, the executive has not given up on deconfining and has chosen to maintain the exemption from the curfew on Christmas Eve.

He prefers to opt for recommendations and leave it to individual responsibility.

Recommendations rather than restrictions

This Wednesday, government spokesman Gabriel Attal urged the French to protect themselves during the holidays.

“If you spend Christmas Eve with people outside your usual home, barrier gestures must be respected and this involves wearing a mask, especially when you are in the presence of vulnerable or elderly people.

"

To encourage self-confine before family meals, Jean Castex also announced Tuesday that parents could not send their children to school Thursday and Friday.

The head of government also hammered out his call to limit gatherings to six people, the possible limitation of private meetings being unconstitutional.

"A difficult balance to find"

For Modem deputy Erwan Balanant, this strategy stems from a new balance.

"Today, the French have a better knowledge of the disease and they have adopted new habits, including barrier gestures," said the elected representative of Finistère.

"There is a complicated balance to be struck between restrictions and individual responsibility in the private sphere."

If he considers "very positive that the government has confidence in the French", the parliamentarian is worried about a possible "Thanksgiving effect".

In Canada, cases have jumped after this traditional holiday celebrated on October 12 *.

In order to strengthen calls for responsibility, the Prime Minister also stressed that the reopening of cafes, bars and restaurants is conditional on the decrease in the circulation of the virus.

"It will depend on how we spent the holiday season", which may "be conducive to an accelerated circulation" of the virus if "we were not collectively responsible", he warned Tuesday on Europe 1 .

"Preventing the French from celebrating Christmas is illusory"

It will be necessary to wait until the beginning of January to see if the Christmas gatherings have caused a surge in Covid-19 cases.

“A week later, we will know the effect on contamination and, two weeks later, on hospitalizations,” explains the Ministry of Health.

“We expect an impact, that's for sure.

But of what magnitude?

it is difficult to estimate, because nothing is decided yet.

"

The risk of a third wave after the holidays is taken seriously, both by the World Health Organization and by the majority.

"We have long been criticized for being too infantilizing, and I have no doubt that the same people will criticize us for being too lax" in the event of an epidemic rebound after the holidays, sweeps Erwan Balanant.

“To believe that we could have prevented the French from celebrating Christmas is illusory”, continues in the entourage of Olivier Véran.

"We prefer to give them good signals and good information, because anyway people want to come together."

* In the United States, where Thanksgiving was celebrated on November 26, it is still too early to assess the impact of these private meetings on the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic.

Health

Coronavirus in Lyon: "I came to protect my family at Christmas", massive screenings start smoothly in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

Lille

Curfew in Lille: First night of systematic checks and verbalizations

  • Curfew

  • Government

  • Coronavirus

  • Christmas

  • Covid 19