As expected, on Wednesday evening Emmanuel Macron announced a curfew from 9pm to 6am in nine major cities to curb the circulation of the virus and deal with the health situation. The Ile-de-France region, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Aix-Marseille, Montpellier, Toulouse and Rouen are affected by these new measures, and the ban on going out at night will take effect from Saturday 17 October at 00:00 for a period of four weeksThis will probably be extended until 1 December following a vote in Parliament.
To limit travel and social interaction, the President of the French Republic has also invited companies that are able to do so to encourage the use of the "green card". teleworking as much as possible, two or three days a week.
if you have a train or plane arriving or departing after 9 p.m., you will need to be able to show your ticket.
With regard to business travel, exemptions were specified by the Prime Minister on Thursday, requiring in particular a certificate that can be downloaded from the government website. Visit rail and air travel are among the exceptions: " Certain journeys will still be authorised (...) if you have a train or plane arriving or leaving after 9 p.m., you will need to be able to show your ticket if necessary." explained Jean Castex, citing the hotels among establishments not subject to early closure.
Antigen tests at airports
Health Minister Olivier Véran also announced on Thursday that ". barnums, these famous collective test operations, can be carried out from antigenic tests in airportsThis means that when people arrive in France from a country where the virus is circulating widely, their results are available before they leave the airport." . Olivier Véran continued: " The test requirement already exists (...). The borders are closed with many countries and when French nationals come from these countries we require them to present a test carried out on the spot within 72 hours of their arrival on French territory. And if that's not possible, we test them at the airport. Today, we test them using a PCR test, the results of which take an average of one day. With antigens, it will be quicker, because they will have the results before they leave the terminal." . Jean Castex also pointed out that airports were one of the " rapid deployment priorities "This measure has been confirmed by the Minister of Transport. This measure has been confirmed by the French Transport Minister, who expects the new tests to be introduced "in a very short space of time". by the end of October" . As for the possible neutralisation of every second seat on trains or planes, the Prime Minister emphasised the efficiency of the ventilation systems used by these infrastructures, implying that this measure was not on the agenda.
Tourism is expected to be one of the first sectors to be affected by the curfew, and the industry has reacted unfavourably to the announcement. " We describe these measures as punitive towards the hotel and restaurant sector. They are designed to dissuade a minority of people who do not respect basic health precautions, and will have dramatic consequences for the profession." In a joint press release, the SNRTC, the Union des métiers et des industries de l'hôtellerie (UMIH), the Groupement des indépendants hôtellerie et restauration (GNI) and the Groupement national des chaînes hôtelières (GNC) said. Emmanuel Macron has announced new support measures for the sectors most affected by the curfew, such as the hotel and catering industry and events management.
