Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel, it is the headlights of the train that arrives opposite. It will be the stake for Emmanuel Macron to persuade the French of the opposite. For the fourth time since the start of the coronavirus epidemic, the President of the Republic will address the country solemnly Monday evening. And try to outline the contours of a way out of the crisis when the country is about to cross the threshold of one month of confinement with an extension of at least two weeks to come.
According to the President of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy, " the essential and capital element " in the fight against the epidemic " is the pursuit of strict confinement over several weeks ". Since the start of the crisis, Emmanuel Macron has relied on the opinions of this body for his political decisions. That of prolonging the confinement is one that the president is therefore about to announce to the French while still trying to clear the horizon.
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" He will evoke a little" after "but he does not want to give the feeling that we are already out of the crisis , we warn those around him. The president wants to be very clear on the release of confinement and announce a specific deadline, not just a renewal for a fortnight . ” The country does not expect good news anyway. After three weeks of confinement, the French massively anticipate the extension of the confinement. According to an Elabe poll, a quarter of them estimate that it will last until April 30, a third sees it last until May 15 and the last third thinks to go beyond this date. " We are probably talking about weeks and not months, provided of course that we see what the epidemic is giving ", assured Jean-François Delfraissy on France Info.
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Behind this horizon of exit from the crisis that Emmanuel Macron wants to sketch in front of the French, the whole strategy of deconfinement is looming. With a major stake: to avoid that the phase of return to normal results in a restarting of the epidemic. The famous second wave feared by epidemiologists. In this sequence, the question of masks and tests is essential. Emmanuel Macron wants to be “ very clear ” on these two subjects while the controversies persist. After the lack of protective masks denounced by the opponents of the Head of State, it is the requisitions of masks that are criticized.
A message to believers
At the end of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, the government spokeswoman defended the requisitions by the state of protective masks ordered by local authorities. " We are committed to ensuring that the 40 to 45 million masks that are necessary for healthcare staff are systematically delivered week after week, " explained Sibeth Ndiaye.
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However, there is no question of talking about chloroquine, this treatment against the coronavirus defended by Professor Raoult of Marseille but on which the health authorities have serious reservations. " The president can not say anything because the test results will not arrive before the end of the month, " said an adviser. It should however be explained on the use of personal smartphones of the French to try to stem the epidemic. A highly contested measure on which Emmanuel Macron himself has very strong reservations. " He is not comfortable with that, " says one of his relatives.
With the approach of religious holidays, Easter for Christians, Passover for the Jews and the start of Ramadan for Muslims, the President of the Republic finally wants to send a message to the believers of these three religions. The opportunity also to return to the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris a year ago. While the works have been greatly disrupted by confinement, the President of the Republic wants to ensure that the reconstruction deadlines will be met.