Parisians have been facing new restrictions since Saturday to fight the resumption of the Covid-19 epidemic. What looked like a third confinement is not really experienced in this way by many onlookers crossed in the streets of the capital.
In Paris, in the streets and on the quays, many people took advantage of a cold but sunny Saturday to walk around and meet each other, masks on their faces. The capital, like all of Île-de-France, is however subject to new restrictions for at least four weeks.
But what appeared to be akin to a third confinement on government announcements on Thursday does not resemble the first two that France experienced in the spring and fall of 2020.
“I do not think it is a third confinement. It’s a bit of an extension of what we are experiencing with some adaptations, but it is not a confinement,” said a Parisian, interviewed on Saturday on BFM Paris, while he was on the banks of the Seine.
“I am a little confused”
The rules, which may have changed or been refined in recent hours, have confused the inhabitants of the capital, who have not understood what was now possible or prohibited to do.
“I am a little confused about the new measures. I do not really understand what is open, what is closed, what we can no longer do compared to before. It’s a bit special” , asked a Parisian on BFM Paris.
For others, certain measures, such as the reduction of the curfew to 7 p.m., are even experienced with relief.
“Ultimately, it will be better than before since we will gain an hour in the evening, with the curfew at 7 pm” rejoiced Louise, a yoga teacher, to Agence France-Presse (AFP ). “The only real difference is the 10 km limit. It’s probably a consistent thing to avoid spreading,” she added.
Effects in two weeks?
Patrick Berche, medical biologist, also considers that the confined departments are not really confined.
“In fact we are not in confinement. I think that full confinement would not have been accepted by the population. There it is rather a restriction, we are not allowed to go more than 10 kilometers “, he said this Sunday on the set of BFMTV.
“I don’t know if it will be effective, I hope it will, but we will only see the effects in two weeks. It is a very precarious situation and it is not sure that we will not have to go further. in confinement, “continued the member of the Academy of Medicine.
A word challenged by the executive
The rule also appears to have been given to members of the government not to use the word “containment”. Emmanuel Macron did not appreciate, according to our information, that Jean Castex used it several times during his press conference on Thursday. The head of state, on the sidelines of a meeting at the Elysee on the occasion of the Francophonie Day Friday, felt that the term “is not suited to the strategy” of the executive. In an interview with Parisian, Saturday, Olivier Véran remained on the same line.
“I refuse to talk about confinement simply because it is not! A year ago, when I signed the confinement orders, the slogan was: ‘Stay at home’. The term reminds the French of the difficult weeks they spent locked up at home. The situation is different. If I had to improvise a slogan it would be: ‘To breathe out to breathe, to distance oneself to protect themselves’ “, explained the Minister of health daily.
Sixteen departments (the eight of Île-de-France, the five of Hauts-de-France, Seine-Maritime, Eure and Alpes-Maritimes) are affected by these measures. Many businesses are closed, travel between regions is prohibited and groups of more than six people outside are not possible.
It is however authorized to move during the day, to walk, to make purchases or to practice a sporting activity outside without time limit and without having to present a certificate, within a radius of 10 kilometers around its home. A document attesting to the address of his home, such as an identity card, is now sufficient. The first version of the certificate, deemed difficult to understand, was updated on Saturday. It must now be filled only if you move beyond 10 kilometers.
What, in the end, change the new restrictions for those who are confronted with them? Few things according to Philippe, interviewed by AFP on Saturday during a walk on the quays of the Seine: “I do not see any change, apart from the closed shops.”
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