According to our editorialist Nicolas Beytout, the "3rd type confinement" announced by Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday evening is the admission of a bet lost by the President, who however tries to make people forget his failure by setting a clearer exit horizon for the crisis . 

EDITORIAL

His speeches are rare and often synonymous with new announcements: Emmanuel Macron did not derogate from the rule, Wednesday evening, announcing in particular an extension of measures to fight against Covid-19 to all metropolitan departments, and a closure of schools from next Tuesday.

A rather successful speech on the form and which aims, according to our editorialist Nicolas Beytout, to forget a bet lost on the substance. 

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"I said it yesterday (

Wednesday

): if Emmanuel Macron spoke, it would be to announce bad news. Bingo, it is the case. France must again be locked up for 4 weeks, its schools will be closed from Tuesday And even if the Head of State still seems to have such a hard time using the word "confinement" to describe what lies ahead, that's what it is. between the ultra-severe last March-April and the more flexible last autumn.

The president gave a deadline for ending the crisis

While waiting for the audience figures, we can say that the intervention of Emmanuel Macron was good on the form.

No emphasis, no lyrical soaring, concrete - almost too much moreover: it's always strange to see the President commenting on slides, curves and tables, like the Director General of Health.

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And on the bottom, Emmanuel Macron has adopted a fairly balanced position, I find, between the bad news (the confinement of all of France), and the words of comfort in the face of the weariness, the annoyance of many.

And above all, he drew a horizon, he gave a deadline for ending the crisis ... Four weeks, then two more of transition before gradual reopening.

This is the first time that this has happened: during his previous interventions, Emmanuel Macron either did not commit, or had underlined the provisional of his announcements.

His plan to speed up the virus failed

This time, he gives precise dates.

Steps in the rise of vaccination, and at the same time in the relaxation of the constraint.

And this is not trivial.

Since the pressure for a reconfinement invaded the public debate, we have seen a battle unfold on the theme of the "lost bet of the President who did not want to re-limit and who was going to have to do so".

It is true, this choice not to follow the advice of the doctors, for two months, did not succeed.

And it is also true that the entourage of the Head of State has embroidered a lot around the idea of ​​a President who sees everything, understands everything, and decides everything about health policy.

>> DECRYPTION

- More clarity and a horizon of reopening: the underside of Emmanuel Macron's (new) bet

His plan to speed up the virus failed, it was the virus that won and so it was he personally who lost.

So, by giving a horizon, he tries to make people forget this lost race.

Emmanuel Macron sets a new appointment for the French, draws a perspective of a real, dated exit, based on the rise of the vaccination campaign.

One way, of course, to change the terms of the bet, and to spare some political air. "