CURFEW. 46 million French people living in 54 departments must now respect the curfew put in place to curb the coronavirus epidemic. This measure is expected to last six weeks. Discover the map of the areas concerned and the details of the measure.
[Mis à jour le 24 octobre 2020 à 19h53] With 38 new departments concerned since Friday, October 23 at midnight, 54 metropolitan territories and French Polynesia must now respect the curfew introduced from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. by the government, as part of the state of health emergency. For a period of six weeks, the French living in these areas will not be able to leave their homes at night, except for an overriding reason or professional obligation. The measure, announced by the Prime Minister on Thursday, October 22, aims to slow down the “rapid and very worrying advance of the epidemic”. The new departments are therefore joining the metropolises already concerned, such as Lille, Marseille, Lyon or Grenoble.
For certain professions and in certain cases, however, it is still possible to travel between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. in the departments affected by the curfew. Thus, the nursing staff or the members of the police force can circulate at night if they present a professional card. For the others, it will be necessary to present a derogatory certificate of displacement. We explain how to download it and how to fill it out in this article. The valid reasons for leaving one’s home are medical consultations, the purchase of medicines, imperial family reasons, such as assistance to vulnerable people, short trips for the needs of pets. It is also possible to travel between regions, trips “linked to transits for long distance trips” are accepted.
After lively debates, the National Assembly voted on Saturday, October 24, the bill on the extension of the state of health emergency. Adopted by a decree, the curfew measure can only be extended beyond one month with the passage of a law. To extend it to six weeks, and not four, the government therefore needs this bill. Before the deputies, Olivier Véran defended “a text of responsibility to allow us to actively protect the French in this period which will be long and difficult”. Senators will in turn have to consider the text on October 28 and 29.
On Friday, the Council of State validated the curfew measures introduced by the government, through a statement. According to the high administrative court, these restrictions would not “constitute a manifestly illegal attack on fundamental freedoms”. In addition, the summary judge “notes that in the current state of scientific knowledge, contamination occurs, for the most part, in private places. He specifies that a curfew measure seems to have shown its effectiveness for limit the spread of the virus when it was implemented in Guyana last March “.
Despite persistent rumors, the curfew has not been brought forward to 7 p.m. by the government, at least for the moment. A hardening of the measure, for example with an advancement of the start time, is nevertheless not to be excluded if its first effects, expected next week, are not felt. According to government sources cited by RTL, two possibilities are on the table: to advance the curfew to 19h therefore, but also to generalize it to the whole of France.
Unlike other territories, in the department of Oise, the curfew will not be established on Friday at midnight, but on Saturday at midnight. It will therefore be during the night from Saturday to Sunday, and not from Friday to Saturday, that this measure will be implemented, reports the France 3 Hauts-de-France site. For the rest, the curfew will be applied in the same way as for the other departments concerned, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. This is a decision of the prefecture of Oise, which preferred to postpone the measure for 24 hours.
More info on the curfew
Here is the list of the departments which are placed under curfew, following the announcements of Jean Castex, from midnight Friday: Ain, Alpes-Maritimes, Ardèche, Ardennes, Ariège, Aube, Aveyron, Bas-Rhin, Calvados, South Corsica, Côte-d’Or, Drôme, Gard, Haute-Corse, Haute-Loire, Haute-Savoie, Haute-Vienne, Hautes-Alpes, Hautes-Pyrénées, Ille-et-Vilaine, Indre-et-Loire, Jura, Loiret, Lozère, Maine-et-Loire, Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Pas-de-Calais, Puy-de-Dôme, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pyrénées-Orientales, Saône-et-Loire, Savoie, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Var, Vaucluse, and French Polynesia.
16 departments were already concerned and remain under curfew: Bouches-du-Rhône, Essonne, Haute-Garonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Hérault, Isère, Loire, Nord, Paris, Rhône, Seine-et-Marne, Seine- Maritime, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val-d’Oise, Yvelines.
The curfew also concerns the department of Oise, but the measure will come into force on Saturday at midnight.
The curfew comes into effect from 9 p.m. in the departments concerned. This curfew must be observed until 6 a.m. each day. Exemptions are of course possible for people working in the evening or for compelling family reasons, like what was in place during confinement.
The curfew is established “normally, for a period of six weeks,” said Jean Castex during his press conference. He thus joins the information delivered by Emmanuel Macron, Wednesday, October 14, who said he wanted the same duration. “This is the time that seems useful to us,” he explained. However, legally, the curfew can only be declared for one month “on the basis of very degraded health indicators”. Beyond that, it will require the approval of the National Assembly and the Senate to extend its duration. Jean Castex confirmed Thursday, October 15 that Parliament would be asked for an extension.
- What is forbidden between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The bans during curfews mainly concern exits. “This means that at 9 p.m., everyone must be at home and that, with some exceptions, all places, businesses or public services open to the public will be closed. These rules must of course be applied with common sense, as during confinement” , said Jean Castex Thursday, October 15. It is not possible to be outside without proof, but also to play sports outdoors, such as jogging or cycling. During the curfew hours, all businesses open to the public must close.
- Which is allowed between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. It is possible to move around freely between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., the curfew not being synonymous with confinement. “There will be no traffic ban but a strict limitation” to the hours of the curfew, had also summarized Emmanuel Macron in his speech. It is particularly possible in the evening to leave the areas concerned, to go on weekends or on vacation. “We will not prevent people from going on vacation,” said the head of state explicitly. A derogation is nevertheless necessary in certain situations. Regarding places, health and medico-social establishments, reception facilities for the most precarious, hotels, restaurants providing home delivery or even public establishments providing night service, such as police stations in particular, may remain also open.
The list of exceptions to the curfew was detailed by Jean Castex and the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin on Thursday, October 15 during a press conference. It is authorized to move between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. in the areas concerned for the following reasons:
- Job. Regarding night workers, Emmanuel Macron made it clear that the exceptions put in place. “Obviously, for all those who return from work after 9 pm, or who work at night and who work later, there will be an authorization”, announced the Head of State on October 14. This was confirmed on October 15 during the ministerial conference.
- Health emergency. It is also authorized to travel to go to the hospital or the pharmacy on duty or for other medical reasons.
- Transports. Emmanuel Macron had also indicated that “there will be no transport restrictions” during the curfew. As Jean Castex has also confirmed, it is possible to continue traveling anywhere in France, whether for professional or personal purposes during curfew hours and thus take a train or a plane that leaves or arrives after 9 pm. hours or before 6 a.m. (you must be able to show a ticket in the event of a control).
- Close in a situation of dependency. Caregivers can visit a loved one in a situation of dependency.
- Pet. He is also authorized to go out “near the home” to take out his pet, said Jean Castex on Thursday, October 15.
The certificate and all the information concerning the health situation and the measures relating to the curfew are available on the government website. There is also a toll-free number: 0 800 130 00.
“12,000 police and gendarmes will be responsible for checking the bans every night,” Gerald Darmanin warned at the press conference on October 15. A fine of 135 euros is in force in the event of non-compliance with the instructions. “And if ever there were to be reiteration, that is to say if, after three times, the police or gendarmes manage to confuse a person who cheats or does not respect these rules of prohibition, a penalty of 6 months’ imprisonment is possible as well as a fine of 3,750 euros “, added the Minister of the Interior.
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