Edouard Philippe announced on Monday new restrictions to fight against the coronavirus epidemic with the limitation of exits to 1 kilometer from his home, for a maximum of 1 hour, and the closure, unless otherwise agreed, of open-air food markets.
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“Going out to walk your children or to play sports, it must be within a radius of 1 km from your home at most, for 1 hour, and obviously alone, and once a day”, detailed the Prime Minister to the JT from 20H of TF1.
Edouard Philippe also announced his decision to “close the open markets”. “But prefects will be allowed on the advice of mayors to waive this ban” when the market in some villages is “the only (sometimes) only” to have “access to fresh products”.
These new restrictions respond to the request of many doctors who have been demanding more stringent measures in the past few days in the face of an epidemic that is spreading and has killed 860 people in France, 2,082 patients being on Monday evening in intensive care, according to the latest report.
“The time of confinement may last a few more weeks,” he added. “Many of our fellow citizens would like to return to the normal time, but it is not for tomorrow,” warned the head of government, without giving further details on an extension of the confinement period.
The Prime Minister, who launched a “solemn appeal” to the French to respect “very very strictly the rules of confinement, spoke on the seventh day of national confinement in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.
“We want to make sure that the circulation of the virus is stopped and that is what explains all the decisions we have made. But we must remain humble in this difficulty and know that the effects of the decisions we have taken and in particular the effects of confinement can only be realized over time, “he said.
