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Thursday 10 December 2020
Facilitation postponed
The French have to stay home for New Years Eve
French President Macron sees a maximum of 5,000 new infections daily as a condition for easing the corona measures. Today, however, the numbers are almost three times higher. The consequence: a nationwide curfew that should also apply on New Year’s Eve.
Due to the large number of corona infections, the French cannot celebrate the New Year’s Eve outdoors: the government imposed a curfew on New Year’s Eve starting at 8 pm, as announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex . The opening of cinemas, theaters and museums, originally scheduled for next Tuesday, will be postponed until at least January.
“We have not yet reached the end of the second wave,” said Prime Minister Castex. The nightly curfew goes into effect next Tuesday and, contrary to what was initially considered, it begins at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. Only on Christmas Eve are people allowed to move freely and go to the traditional mass of midnight. Some flexibilities are also being postponed, as Castex said: In addition to cultural institutions like theaters, this also affects places of worship. The number of participants in the mass celebrations should not increase for the time being, in churches and mosques a dispute between believers must remain free.
“Risk of the second wave rising again”
At Christmas, people should be able to travel with their families as planned. Castex warned citizens to party in small groups with up to six adults. Everything possible must be done “to avoid a third blockade in the coming months,” he emphasized. The French should give up big celebrations on New Year’s Eve too. However, private firecrackers are not allowed in many places. There are centrally organized fireworks in Paris and other cities.
President Emmanuel Macron had cut to a maximum of 5,000 new infections daily as a prerequisite for relief before Christmas. More recently, the number was over 14,000, but almost three times higher. There is a “risk that the second wave will rise again”, warned the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran.
At the end of November, the government began the first relaxation of the strict blockade that has been in force since the end of October. Since then, all the stores have been reopened in hygienic conditions, people can leave their apartments for a maximum of three hours a day within a radius of 20 kilometers without good reason; Previously, walking or jogging tours were only allowed for one hour within a kilometer of the home.
But there is an important relief: from next Tuesday, the French will no longer have to carry certificates during the day to justify their departure to the police checkpoints. Violations of Corona’s requirements face a fine of 135 euros in France.
Since the lockdown went into effect on October 30, the crown’s key figures have improved significantly: After a high of 60,000, new daily infections have visibly dropped. The pressure on hospitals also decreased significantly. Some 3,000 corona patients have recently been treated in French intensive care units, which corresponds to a good utilization of 50 percent. Macron had named 2,500 to 3,000 intensive care patients as a target value for December 15.
The number of deaths, on the other hand, rose enormously to 56,648. At the moment, there is no hope for the restaurants and other restaurants that are considered sources of infection: they should remain closed at least until January.
