At the end of the first week of a gradual and complicated deconfinement, the French, called upon to reserve their summer holidays to rescue a stricken sector, will for the first time in two months be able to leave on weekends - but staying at less than 100 kilometers from home. While managing the puzzle of the reopening of schools, the government must find a delicate balance between the desire to take advantage of the last May bridges which torments French people just out of eight weeks of confinement but which could relaunch the epidemic , and his call to save the tourism sector.
The sites reopen very timidly, like Mont-Saint-Michel or the cathedral of Chartres, while some of the first beaches are accessible again. Others could reopen this weekend for walks or sports. It will be possible to leave, provided you respect the maximum distance of 100 kilometers from your home. And after this first “unconfined” weekend, the Ascension and Pentecost bridges will follow.
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Surfers, swimmers, walkers and boaters will be able to resume on Saturday, under conditions, the path of hundreds of beaches on the coast, from those in the North to the Basque Country, announced several prefectures on Thursday. No gatherings, no collective sports, no static sunbathing, organization of access by the municipalities: with some variants, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the Gironde, the North, the Ille-et-Vilaine, the Vendée, the Côtes d 'Armor have detailed the terms of return "in active mode" and only during the day on the beaches, after confinement which had banished them. Other green lights should follow by the weekend in Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Landes or Charente-Maritime, after first announcements on Wednesday in Vendée (Sables d'Olonne, Yeu) or in Loire-Atlantique (La Baule).
In the first days of deconfinement, the images of gatherings, in particular on the Parisian banks where alcohol has since been banned, or in front of bars practicing only take-away sales - still authorized - raised fears of a "relaxation" which would favor the appearance of a possible "second wave" epidemic. The government also regularly calls on "good citizenship" and "responsibility" for everyone.
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But while deconfinement could take a new step on June 2, the injunction to be cautious must accommodate that to book his summer vacation, to fly to the aid of tourism, which represents two million jobs and 7%. of a national GDP already torpedoed by the worst recession since the Second World War. " Tourism is probably facing the worst test in its modern history, even though it is one of the jewels of the French economy, its rescue is therefore a national priority" , launched on Thursday Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, announcing an overall effort of 18 billion for the sector.
And to promise that "the French can go on vacation to France in July and August" , subject to "possible very localized restrictions" depending on the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic. In the process, the SNCF announced the opening of reservations on Friday for the summer holidays and the government said it wanted to double the number of French people benefiting from "holiday vouchers".