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PARIS (REUTERS) – France tiptoed out of one of Europe’s tightest blockades on Monday (May 11), reopened shops, factories and some schools to revive the economy, but was wary of the risks of a second wave of infections.
France, whose official death toll is the fifth highest in the world, had imposed an eight-week blockade since March 17. The government is now allowing the return to the workplace with social distancing measures and the reopening of schools in stages.
The country’s 67 million people can now leave home without government documentation.
“Everyone is a little nervous. Wow! We don’t know where we are going, but we are going,” said Marc Mauny, a stylist who opened his salon in western France at midnight.
In central Paris early Monday, traffic flowed along the Champs-Elysées, a giant tricolor flag waving under the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the boulevard, as workers cleaned windows in store windows before reopening.
Passenger traffic on the capital’s metro lines was lighter than normal. Passengers must wear masks and stickers on marked seats for social distancing.
France had imposed an eight-week blockade to curb the spread of the coronavirus that only allowed grocery stores, pharmacies, and tobacconists to remain open.
President Emmanuel Macron’s government lifted the blockade after the infection rate decreased and the number of patients in intensive care fell to less than half the peak seen in April.
The virus has claimed 26,380 lives in France.
Businesses can now reopen as long as they take security precautions. But people can only travel up to 100 km unless for professional reasons, funerals or sick care.
BALANCE LAW
France’s plan to ease the blockade reflects a balancing act, with the government ready to ease the growing frustration of people locked up in their homes since mid-March without increasing the risk of a second wave of infections.
Eager to help workers return to their jobs, kindergarten and elementary schools will reopen this week and secondary schools later in the month in areas where the infection rate is low.
Class size will be limited to 15 students and high school students will have to wear masks.
The government has called for caution, and some regions, including the Paris area, remain “red zones” and are subject to additional restrictions.
People across the country are advised to work from home if they can. However, Macron is eager to rescue a free-falling economy. The second largest economy in the euro zone is forecast to contract 8 percent this year.
Underlining the looming difficulties, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he regretted the left-wing union CGT’s decision to prevent the reopening of a Renault plant in Sandouville.
France’s key automaker industry has been hit hard by the crisis and Le Maire said it would hold more meetings this week with industry representatives.
“We expect a significant return to work, that as many employees as possible can return to their companies and make France work again, in conditions of maximum health safety,” Le Maire tweeted.
The public health crisis will leave lasting marks in France, as it will worldwide. The French, accustomed to being told that their high taxes paid for the best medical care in the world, have been shocked by the rationing of critical drugs, masks and equipment.
They have watched with envy how neighboring Germany appears to have coped better with the coronavirus pandemic.
After initially enjoying a spike in popularity, Macron’s handling of the crisis has been criticized by opponents and sectors of the public and has generated mistrust. Macron’s popularity index fell to 34 percent in May, 5 points less than a month ago, according to a recent survey by Elabe for the Les Echos newspaper
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