Jean Castex.

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JM HAEDRICH / SIPA

  • The government held its traditional press conference on measures to combat the coronavirus this Thursday evening.

  • Jean Castex announced a general curfew at 6 p.m. throughout metropolitan France from Saturday, and for at least two weeks.

  • This measure, which aims to avoid a new confinement, remains highly criticized in the opposition.

This is the cruel ritual that the country now expects almost every week.

Jean Castex arrived accompanied by an armada of ministers, this Thursday at 6 p.m., to launch the government press conference on measures to combat the coronavirus.

"We were able to spend the end of year celebrations without outbreak", welcomed the Prime Minister, citing figures "more than honorable, both in terms of incidence and the rate of positivity of the tests".

Relying on a host of data, the head of government evoked, with a learned air, a "situation under control", but "fragile, because the virus is still actively circulating on the territory".

He was especially worried about "the emergence of new, more contagious strains" of Covid-19.

Because despite the relative stability of the epidemic, it is the fear of this famous British variant that pushes the executive to "toughen" the measures, in a "logic of preventive braking".

"A preventive curfew"

"We must therefore do everything to prevent it from progressing rapidly and becoming the dominant strain," said Jean Castex.

The executive chooses to lower the curtain two hours earlier, since from Saturday, the curfew will be generalized throughout the metropolitan territory at 6 p.m. and for at least 15 days.

All places, businesses or services, will close at this time.

“During the second wave, we had confined in anticipation, and it bore fruit, assures LREM deputy from Var, Valérie Gomez Bassac.

It is the logic of this preventive curfew, we would not want to reach the dramatic figures known for example in the United Kingdom ”, which has been experiencing an epidemic outbreak for several weeks.

The government says it wants to avoid a new confinement, which it does not rule out for the next few days, in the event of "strong epidemic deterioration".

"The French are already worn out psychologically, and a new confinement would have serious effects on economic and social activity", blows the walker, spokesperson for the group in the National Assembly.

The government justifies this general curfew by the positive results of its introduction in the first 15 departments since January 2.

"The increase in the number of new cases is two or even three times lower than in other metropolitan departments," said the Prime Minister.

The opposition denounces the risk of "congestion" in shops on weekends

"I am skeptical, and we will have to look at the figures closely because, in Saône-et-Loire, the curfew has not given convincing results," replied Gilles Platret, the LR mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône.

"On the other hand, it poses real problems, because it forces all those who work to do their weekend shopping at the same time, at the risk of congestion in supermarkets".

The vice-president of the Republicans also points to the negative impact of the measure on restaurant owners.

“It's going to kill those who survived by doing take out at night.

"

The health situation is extremely contrasted according to the departments.

To apply the same measures brutally and without nuance everywhere, from the Côtes d'Armor to the Alpes-Maritimes, is total nonsense.



Territorialize, adapt, be flexible and pragmatic!

MLP # Castex18h

- Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) January 14, 2021

“More of us will be concentrating in common places (transport, shops, etc.) on shorter niches!

These new perpetual finds are unbearable, ”was also annoyed on Twitter the rebellious deputy Adrien Quatennens.

Marine Le Pen for her part called for more "territorialized" health measures, since "the health situation is extremely contrasted according to the departments".

Once again, it is the epidemic figures for the next few days that will prove - or not - the executive.

And could push him to decide on a third confinement.

The “happy days” promised by Emmanuel Macron last April seem very far away.

Paris

The weather is rotten and in our heads, too

Health

Coronavirus: "For the moment, the curfew at 6 p.m. has no obvious effect"

  • Curfew

  • Covid 19

  • epidemic

  • Coronavirus

  • Jean Castex

  • Government