Normal life with a mask – that’s what Macron promises his vaccinated compatriots three months before the presidential election.
(Photo: AP)
Paris The number of new infections registered every day in France was almost four times higher than in the Federal Republic – and the neighboring country has 16 million fewer inhabitants. Nevertheless, the government of President Emmanuel Macron promises a gradual relaxation of the corona rules, which have recently been rather mild compared to Germany.
However, the perspective of more normality that Macron opened up less than three months before the presidential election only applies to vaccinated or recovered citizens.
On Thursday evening, the President had Prime Minister Jean Castex announce the latest decisions of the “Health Defense Council”, which controls French pandemic policy. Castex warned that the pandemic and the omicron wave were not over yet. At the same time, however, he gave hope: “I think I can say that the situation is moving in a more positive direction.”
The first easing step in France should therefore come on February 2nd. From this date, among other things, the home office obligation will no longer apply, and the limit on the number of participants will be lifted for public events. From February 16th, discotheques and clubs will be allowed to open again.
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Mask requirement remains
The mask requirement indoors, on the other hand, remains in place. In addition, the prerequisite for many everyday activities such as going to restaurants or train journeys will in future be the status of a vaccinated or recovered person. A current negative test result is no longer sufficient. The new 2G rules should come into force next Monday, Castex announced in the press conference.
In the Elysée Palace, meanwhile, great importance is attached to the fact that the current restrictions in France are less severe than in other European countries. The French could lead “almost normal lives,” said Macron’s spokesman Gabriel Attal. Restaurants and bars are open, as are theaters and cinemas. There are no contact restrictions.
As since the beginning of the pandemic, the top priority is to keep schools and daycare centers open. “We made the bold decision for an open country in France,” said Attal. “We have never succumbed to panic or defeatism.”
The French Corona policy is also controversial in the country.
(Photo: dpa)
However, in its corona communication during the election campaign, the Élysée Palace concealed the fact that France had imposed a tough lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic in spring 2020: The house could only be left with a permit, and a maximum movement radius of one kilometer around the building was allowed at the time Residence.
Pressure on the unvaccinated is increasing
In the winter months of 2020/2021, Macron reacted to a sharp increase in the number of cases with curfews, and large parts of public life were at a standstill. There was an evening curfew in France until the beginning of June last year. In the past few months, however, Macron has implemented a change of strategy – he is fully committed to the vaccination campaign and wants to restrict the everyday lives of citizens as little as possible.
At the same time, Macron continues to increase the pressure on the unvaccinated and threatened to make everyday life more difficult for them “to the bitter end”. His choice of words caused astonishment and indignation in France. The polite translation is that he wants to “annoy” people who refuse to vaccinate. In the cruder form, however, one could also say that the French President wanted to “poop” or “puke on” the unvaccinated citizens.
The experience with the Omicron wave is likely to have played a role in the decision to present an easing roadmap. Castex said on Thursday that although the virus variant is significantly more contagious than its predecessors, it is also clearly less likely to lead to serious illnesses.
While the number of infections in France has climbed to new record levels in recent weeks, the health system was burdened but did not collapse. Macron spokesman Attal said that the number of intensive care patients had recently fallen by 15 percent. The government also sees positive signs in the number of infections: In the capital region of Île-de-France, the incidence was over 4,000 a week ago, but it has now fallen to almost 3,700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days.
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