Covid-19 in France: the government unveils the gradual lifting of restrictions

Prime Minister Jean Castex unveils the gradual lifting of restrictions in France on April 22, 2021. AFP - LUDOVIC MARIN

Text by: RFI Follow

5 mins

French Prime Minister Jean Castex detailed this Thursday, April 22 at a press conference the timetable for the gradual relaxation of the measures taken to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Publicity

Read more

" 

The peak of the third wave of the epidemic seems to be behind us,

 " said Jean Castex.

“

But we must remain vigilant

 ”.

Three weeks after the establishment throughout the national territory of a third confinement which does not speak its name, the executive unveiled on Thursday the gradual lifting of restrictions. 

It will first of all concern schools.

Nurseries, kindergartens and elementary schools will return to school as planned from Monday April 26.

Middle school and high school students will have to wait another week.

This re-entry will however be with a " 

very strict protocol

 " and a " 

massive reinforcement of tests

 ", with the deployment of saliva tests in elementary schools next week and self-tests in high schools.

Sixty-four million tests have been ordered for national education staff and then high school students, said Jean Castex.

The Minister of National Education has also indicated that as soon as a student is declared positive for Covid-19, his class will close.

It is also from May 3 that

the constraints governing daytime travel, currently limited to 10 km around the home, will be lifted. The curfew, in effect from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., is however maintained until further notice. " 

We will see in mid-May, the next stage, where the epidemic situation will be

 ", was content to indicate Jean Castex. 

Depending on the situation, a new reopening train could also take place around mid-May. This could start with shops, certain cultural and sporting activities and terraces. But these reopening of places whose list is " 

not definitively fixed

 " would be done under certain " 

conditions

 ", which could be " 

territorialized

 ", indicated the Prime Minister, promising " 

details in the coming days

 ". The large trade federations and some 150 owners, franchisees and affiliates of retail networks, who called this Thursday in 

Le Parisien

for " 

an imperative reopening of all shops no later than May 10

 Will therefore still have to take their troubles patiently.

Reinforced border controls

These announced reductions are accompanied by a strengthening of border controls.

To prevent the arrival of variants on French territory, the head of government announced the establishment from this Friday " 

of a reinforced control system for people arriving from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, d 'South Africa and India

 '.

On their arrival in France, all passengers from these countries will be subject to a 10-day quarantine, " 

regardless of the result of their test, 

" said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

Before boarding, passengers must declare to the airline their place of quarantine in France and provide proof of its existence.

If these supporting documents are not convincing, the airline company may prohibit them from boarding.

A new control will be put in place on arrival.

This measure replaces the commitment to respect a seven-day isolation that travelers arriving in France must take today.

These will have to justify on their arrival of a PCR test of less than 36 hours and will be “ 

systematically

 ” tested again by an antigenic test, added Gerald Darmanin.

At the same press conference, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran also indicated that the French over 55 years will be able, " 

from this Saturday 

", Be vaccinated against Covid-19 with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the fourth available in the territory.

The deployment of this vaccine was suspended after the appearance of cases of thrombosis.

France received a first delivery of 200,000 doses of this vaccine at the end of last week, but it was awaiting the conclusions of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which estimated on Wednesday that it benefited from a report. benefits / risks favorable, despite a "very rare" risk of blood clots.

The authorities are banking on the acceleration of the vaccination campaign.

More than 13 million French people - out of 67 million - had received at least one dose on Wednesday evening.

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Coronavirus

• France

• Jean Castex