France: how are the Prime Minister's announcements perceived?

French Prime Minister Jean Castex, this Monday, December 27, 2021 at the Hôtel de Matignon.

AFP - STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

After a Health Defense Council and a Council of Ministers headed by Emmanuel Macron, Jean Castex announced measures on Monday evening to try to control the current epidemic wave of Covid-19.

Reactions to the announcements of the French Prime Minister.

Advertising

Read more

Jean Castex said it, it is "a race against time", that the executive has engaged in the face of the new wave of Covid.

First deadline: three weeks after the start of the school year, during which time the government will try to play in particular the card of compulsory teleworking, and no longer recommended, to limit interactions.

One hope: that the outbreak due to the Omicron variant will be short-lived as it seems to have been in South Africa.

In the meantime, Emmanuel Macron has chosen not to impose restrictions on New Year's Eve.

But the Prime Minister calls for responsibility.

In the middle of the vaccination campaign for the third dose and a few days before his speech to present his wishes to the French, Emmanuel Macron is therefore obliged to take additional measures.

►Read also: Update on the health announcements of Jean Castex

Measures deemed " 

" by Marine Le Pen, who believes that the strategy of "all vaccine" chosen by the Head of State is " 

".

Among the announcements made this Monday evening, the ban on standing and having coffee at the counter angered Laurence, who runs a brasserie close to the Eiffel Tower.

People are still forbidden to live, quite simply.

We are forced to be vaccinated: one dose, two doses, three doses, four doses, health pass, whatever we want, and then at the end of the day, it's not that great

Laurence runs a Parisian brasserie, she thinks she will lose 10% per day

Theo Renaudon

On the other hand, among the announcements of the head of government: the maintenance of the start of the school year on January 3, after the end of the Christmas holidays.

A postponement of this re-entry date had been mentioned to slow the spread of Omicron.

Anaël, a kindergarten teacher in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, is relieved.

Distancing is easy for no one, neither for the parents, nor for us.

It's not for nothing, but it's not easy to put in place.

It is very important to maintain the link

Anaëlle, a teacher satisfied by the maintenance of the start of the school year

Theo Renaudon

With the resumption of the epidemic, the political re-entry will be placed under the sign of the Covid.

And the management of the health crisis risks impacting the entry into the presidential campaign of Emmanuel Macron, observes

, of the political service of RFI.

On the side of La France insoumise, the deputy Éric Coquerel considers that not only the adopted strategy leaves something to be desired, but that in addition it arrives very late.

We are not taking structural measures capable of combating and capable of reactivating the famous "test, trace, isolate", that is something that has been set aside.

And so, in fact, we try to take measures above all that point mainly to the responsibility of the unvaccinated as if the problem were there

Éric Coquerel, LFI deputy, notes a lack of anticipation

Aurélien Devernoix

The government's strategy has limits, adds MP Pierre-Henri Dumont, elected Les Républicains.

We realize this evening that in reality, there is not much new.

They are very cautious, because indeed, there is an election at the end and any restrictive measure will be a measure that will be retained against Emmanuel Macron

For Pierre-Henri Dumont (LR), the whole vaccine is not enough

Lucile Gimberg

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

• Jean Castex

• Coronavirus

• Emmanuel Macron

• Health and medicine

• French politics