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In Brittany, sometimes stormy confinement between locals and city-dwellers in "exile"

2020-04-25T06:47:28.018Z


After two waves of arrivals, tensions between the Britons and those who fled the cities in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic are starting to worsen.


"Outside, the Parigots!" “, Could we read on social networks a few days ago. Parisians or not, the subject has been controversial since the start of containment against the Covid-19 epidemic. Many Britons said, notably through returns to the regional press, "shocked" by the transhumance of inhabitants of other regions of the country to their second homes or to rentals on the Brittany coast. In the second half of March, crowded TGVs and private vehicles left for Brittany, for good or bad reasons.

Even if the local gendarmeries confirm that confinement is today rather "well respected by all", some have clearly exceeded their rights and the rules in force. Recently, the gendarmes checked several families who came late to confine themselves in Finistère, despite travel bans. And those for seasonal rentals since a prefectural order taken in early April.

A couple from the Paris region, who first went to the Côtes-d'Armor, then, after having suffered the wrath of certain inhabitants, took refuge in Plougasnou near Morlaix (Finistère), was summoned to join his main residence. Each was fined 135 euros, as was the owner of the rented house.

"Many have pretended to be on vacation"

"At the very beginning of the confinement, we noticed a massive arrival," says Régis, a young retiree from Penvénan, near Lannion (Côtes-d'Armor). We have a lot of second homes here, and the problem was not that they come back. It was rather their attitude. Many acted as if they were on vacation: they went fishing for cockles, they strolled by the sea, while we, we respect the instructions, which prohibit access to the coast. I remember a family who were afraid of having Covid-19, and who had been asked not to move from their accommodation. They didn't listen to anything and all went to the local pharmacy! In this same municipality, damage was noted on vehicles registered outside the department: punctured tires, striped bodies, etc. Identical facts could be noted on the side of Quiberon (Morbihan).

With the Easter holidays, a second wave of arrivals was observed throughout the region. "In my opinion, we must differentiate the two cases, those who find their families or escape from cramped accommodation and those who come on vacation," says Fred, a Brest resident of 40, who takes deterrent checks as an example. from the police at the pier to Ouessant and Molène (Finistère). It should not be easy for the authorities to differentiate ”.

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Not that much, according to Colonel Nicolas Duvinage, commander of the gendarmerie of Finistère: "During the controls of public roads, we noted inconsistent or spurious certificates, explanations to say the least smoky". According to Colonel Pascal Esteve, commander of the gendarmerie of Morbihan, "the fact of carrying out checks made it possible to slow down arrivals, again this time".

"The new arrivals have managed to remain discreet"

In Belle-Ile-en-Mer (Morbihan), an island municipality with 5,400 inhabitants out of season, 600 "more secondary residents" have arrived. Here, we had seen red in the early days and the tone was raised between the locals and "the others". The mayor of the Palace, Frédéric Le Gars, tempers today: “Some have come to be closer to their families, it is their right. We have a capacity of 40,000 people peaking in August, so we have the capacity to manage a certain influx; we have a small hospital, nine doctors, paramedics, and the necessary equipment. There is no stress to have. ”

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A little further north, in Groix, off Lorient (Morbihan), where we had also gone up against the arrivals of the Easter holidays, calm returned. Dominique Yvon, the mayor of the island (2,330 inhabitants a year, 8,000 in the summer), summarizes: “The decree taken by the prefecture of Morbihan was not as drastic as I wanted. But today, police checks at the Lorient embarkation have tightened. Some attitudes displeased at first, but overall it's okay - the newcomers have managed to remain discreet. "

But he adds, knowing that the health resources on the Ponant Islands are very low: "With all the friendship and respect that we have for our inhabitants of second homes, which nevertheless constitute 53% of housing and are essential to the economic life of the island, it is necessary to respect the directives of the government and these are very clear: one does not leave one's place of confinement. "

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2020-04-25

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