Return of containment in a new form.
Braking measures for the Covid-19 epidemic came into force at midnight, Saturday March 20, for 16 French departments after the Prime Minister's announcements on Thursday.
Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Seine-Maritime, Eure and Alpes-Maritimes are subject for at least four weeks to these restrictions, much lighter than the first national confinement of it. just over a year ago.
Interregional travel is prohibited, except for "compelling reasons".
And as before the other confinements, many Ile-de-France residents seem to have wanted to leave the region before it closes: nearly 20% of additional traffic on the roads and 20% of "over-reservations" at the SNCF have been recorded, according to the Minister for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari.
"It's much weaker than what we experienced the weekend before the second confinement" at the end of October, said the minister.
Because unlike the first two confinements, the French concerned can go outside "without any time limit", even if this will only be possible "within a radius limited to 10 kilometers" and with a certificate, according to Jean Castex.
Hairdressers, florists, chocolate makers and open shoemakers
In the whole of France, the curfew is also pushed back by one hour, at 7 p.m.
"I believe that the word confinement is not suitable," President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, who had shown at the end of January his desire to avoid any confinement.
"What we want is to curb the virus without locking us in," he said.
For this "season 3" of confinement, the executive has emphasized the fact that we contaminate ourselves more inside than outside.
When spring arrives, parks and gardens remain open.
Another novelty: the closure of certain so-called non-essential shops, which will join bars and restaurants in the list of places with the curtain down.
Bookstores, record stores and hairdressers are spared, as are florists, chocolate makers and shoemakers.
"It's the coup de grace. This third confinement comes when retailers bring in the summer collections, which will remain blocked for at least a month," lamented Pierre Talamon, of the National Clothing Federation , on BFMTV.
Medef fears "consequences on companies and on the morale of entrepreneurs and employees".
Schools and colleges remain open as in the fall, but the high schools all switch to "half-gauge".
Resuming vaccination with AstraZeneca
According to an Odoxa poll for Le Figaro and Franceinfo, only 56% of the inhabitants of the territories concerned adhere to the measure, considered too late and insufficient.
Due to a technical incident "in the chain of data reporting to Public Health France", the daily epidemiological indicators could not be published Friday evening, said health authorities.
The day before, the country had recorded nearly 35,000 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours and had nearly 4,250 patients (new peak since the end of November), a quarter of whom were hospitalized in Ile-de-France.
"This type of containment on its own would probably not make it possible to curb the epidemic as it is now. But we have the promise of the vaccine", hoped Karine Lacombe, head of the infectious diseases department at the Parisian hospital Saint-Antoine.
So far, nearly 6 million people have received at least one injection, including 2.4 their two doses, according to the Ministry of Health.
After four days of suspension, the High Authority for Health (HAS) gave the green light on Friday to resume vaccination "without delay" with AstraZeneca, but recommended that it be reserved for people aged 55 and over.
The Prime Minister, Jean Castex (56 years old in June), wanted to reassure the French by being injected with a first dose.
Some 56% of the inhabitants of France do not or no longer want to receive this vaccine, according to the Odoxa survey.
With AFP
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