CURFEW. Jean Castex announced this Thursday, January 14 an advanced curfew from 6 p.m. everywhere in France. This tougher curfew will come into effect on Saturday January 16.
[Mis à jour le 14 janvier 2021 à 19h33] From this Saturday January 16, the curfew at 6 p.m. will be for everyone! As announced throughout the day by government sources, the curfew advanced to 6 p.m. will now affect the whole of France, like the 25 departments that already knew this rule, either since January 2, or for a few days only. The measure will come into force this Saturday, January 16 and for at least two weeks, Prime Minister Jean Castex confirmed at a press conference.
“It appears that this measure has health efficiency. In the first 15 departments where the curfew was implemented at 6 p.m. on January 2, the increase in the number of new cases is two or even three times lower than in the other metropolitan departments. In its latest opinion, the Scientific Council confirmed the usefulness of the curfew in the fight against the pandemic “, underlined Jean Castex in particular at a press conference. The reasons for this tightening of the curfew measures are of course to curb the epidemic more vigorously, which remains at a high level and which is all the more worrying with the arrival of the English variant on French soil, a point on which the Minister of Health Olivier Véran returned widely at a press conference. “While the epidemic recovery was concentrated at the end of December on certain departments, the viral circulation now concerns the whole territory”, admitted Jean Castex.
The rules will be the same with an exceptional travel certificate to be presented for your trips from 6 p.m. “It will not be possible to go out for personal reasons. All shops or services open to the public will be closed at 6 pm,” confirmed Jean Castex. No confinement for the time being, however, even on weekends. “As I speak to you, the health situation does not require that we set up a new containment”, judged the Prime Minister. The announcement of the general curfew at 6 p.m. was anticipated after the interventions of personalities of the presidential majority or the government in recent hours, in particular by Olivier Véran, traveling to a hospital in Metz. “Does it work or not, we’ll see. What I know is that in all the departments that have adapted this measure, with ten days of hindsight, we have an increase in the incidence rate of 16% , when the others have an increase of 43%. In the Grand Est region, there is really a difference with the neighboring departments, “pleaded the Minister of Health.
While all metropolitan departments will be affected by the curfew from 6 p.m. on Saturday January 16, 25 departments were already affected by this curfew starting at 6 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m. The Cher, Allier, Côte-d’Or, Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin, Vaucluse, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Bouches-du-Rhône, had joined the 15 departments that initiated the extension. It was Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Ardennes, Doubs, Jura, Marne, Haute-Marne, Meurthe et Moselle, Meuse, Haute-Saône, Vosges, Territory from Belfort, Moselle, Nièvre and Saône-et-Loire. Two other departments have also chosen to apply this reinforced curfew since Tuesday, January 12: Var and Drôme. It should also be noted that Guyana indicated on Friday the advancement of the curfew at 7 p.m. from Saturday for five municipalities. Are concerned: Cayenne, Rémire-Montjoly, Matoury, Macouria and Kourou. For these departments, the curfew therefore began two hours earlier than in the rest of France. All travel is prohibited during these times, except for compelling reasons.
Why were these departments affected by this reinforced curfew? The Ministry of Health has factually set two criteria for drawing up the list of departments concerned by the measure: an incidence rate greater than 200 and / or an incidence rate of the elderly greater than 200. Jérôme Salomon gave other explanations in the Journal du dimanche, January 3. “These are areas where it is colder and where the virus therefore circulates more,” said the Director General of Health. These are also border areas, more rural, with more vulnerable populations.
Practical information on the curfew
As a reminder, if free movement has become the rule again since December 15 in France, with the end of confinement stricto-sensu, this is only valid during the day. For the second time, the country is in fact subject to the curfew rule in order to best control the epidemic of coronavirus while allowing the French to travel for the end of year celebrations. In effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. until then, the curfew was to run until the end of January. It will be the same but from 6 p.m. on Saturday January 16. What are the rules and exceptions for this new curfew? Our responses.
Since December 15 and until at least January 20, the curfew is in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Travel is prohibited, with some exceptions, during this time slot. The rest of the time, outings and trips are authorized, confinement is no longer in force. In 25 territories, the curfew has been tightened and begins at 6 p.m. From Saturday January 16, the curfew will be in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day in all departments.
Here are the exits authorized during curfew hours (and which must be justified by the certificate):
- Return to and from his place of work if it is night work or requiring a return home after 8 p.m. (or a business trip that cannot be postponed)
- Compelling family reasons, for assistance to vulnerable and precarious people, in particular to people with disabilities or for childcare
- Medical reasons: going to the hospital, appointments for examinations and care that cannot be provided remotely and purchase of medication
- Participation in missions of general interest at the request of the administrative authority (marauding associations for the fight against poverty or distribution of food aid at home, for example)
- Help for people with disabilities and their companions
- Walk a domestic animal around its home.
Despite the end of confinement, a travel certificate is still in effect during the curfew. This document is necessary for any exit provided for in the derogatory grounds.
The rules are the same as for confinement: a fine of 135 euros can be imposed in the event of non-compliance with the measures introduced. “And if there was ever to be reiteration, that is to say if, after three times, […] a sentence of 6 months of imprisonment is possible as well as a 3750 euros fine “, specified the Minister of the Interior during the first curfew.
The curfew was initially set to last until January 20, when the restrictions were to end. But this deadline was revised on January 14 by the government which announced a new curfew in effect from 6 p.m. for “15 days”. Or until the end of January at least.
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