Paris (AFP)
"We wasted a lot of time," lamented Tuesday the president of the Association of Mayors of France François Baroin, saying that the issue of closing schools should "be asked" and was "not taboo".
"A week ago, if I had had the possibility, I would have taken as mayor of Troyes (Aube) the decision to establish strict confinement, to better protect the population," he said. on BFMTV.
Aube is one of the three new departments of strong circulation of the virus which will be subject to reinforced braking measures from Saturday.
"We lost a lot of time, we knew that we had a wall to cross on March 15" because of the arrival of the British variant, he said, specifying that in Troyes, the rate of incidence rises to 740 for those under 30.
"The evolution of the presence of the virus in schools greatly worries the teaching staff", continued François Baroin, who asks that the vaccination of teachers be a priority "if we want to keep our schools open".
But "I think the question of schools should be asked, it should not be taboo", including kindergartens, "because parents get sick, sometimes young parents" who come to swell the ranks of patients in intensive care.
"I told the Minister of Health, there is a question about schools. I can understand that we are trying to keep schools open" but to slow down this British variant, "we must ask the question of areas where the virus is growing and schools are part of it, ”he concluded.
Health Minister Olivier Véran reiterated Thursday that schools would remain open, if necessary with an even stronger health protocol, and would only be closed as a last resort.
The mayor of Troyes also regretted that the mayors have lost the power to decide on closures.
"We live under a framework derogating from common law which is the state of health emergency. The State has recovered the powers proper to the mayor and we no longer have the power to open or close whether it is a bar or school".
© 2021 AFP