The French will be able to go on vacation to France in July and August despite the Covid-19, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on Thursday. But how will they take place in a context that will remain exceptional? Elements of answers.
How far can I go?
The constraint of 100 km around home is over. In the system planned for the summer, the government announced the possibility of going on vacation "in France", that is to say "in France and overseas" said Edouard Philippe. This fairly broad perspective will unfold "subject to the evolution of the epidemic and possible very localized restrictions". As such, some Corsican elected officials are considering setting up a health passport to go to their island.
Regarding those who would like to embark on a tourist trip to Europe, the government advises them to wait for lack of visibility on the development of the health situation, especially since several countries have closed their borders. This is particularly the case of Spain where uncertainty still reigns over a reopening - under conditions - in July or not before October.
Can we already book train tickets?
Yes. Since this Friday, the SNCF has relaunched reservations for TGV and Intercités for the summer holidays. It is currently planning to run 100% of the trains originally planned for this summer. But, for the moment, it only sells one seat out of two at least until June 2 when the "new rules which must apply for the sanitary conditions of circulation on trains" will be known.
This Friday, ticket orders were four times higher than the previous day, before the announcement of Edouard Philippe but the levels are still "relatively low", estimates the SNCF which expects an increase from this weekend . In addition, the company has already announced that tickets will be exchangeable or refundable at no cost in the event of restrictions.
VIDEO. Édouard Philippe: "The French will be able to go on vacation in July and August"
Will the summer camps work?
About 850,000 children go to summer camps each year. As collective reception of minors with accommodation is still prohibited, it will be necessary to wait a few more days to consider this type of vacation. "We are working to make this possible," says Gabriel Attal. The first obstacle may be financial for certain families, but there are also concerns about the health aspect. You will have to be able to reassure them. "
At the same time, for the past month, the Ministries of National Education and Youth, Culture and Sports have been holding working meetings on the theme of "Summer holidays for young people". Three plans should soon be unveiled: learning holidays (remedial school and activities), truancy (tutoring and day trips) and summer camps (refresher but starting from home for sports, cultural activities). In Le Monde, Gabriel Attal announced that he hoped to accommodate up to 400,000 children.
Can my vacation dates be changed by my employer?
The establishment of the state of health emergency offers more rights to the employer to modify the conditions of taking leave. Your company can thus impose or modify the taking of paid vacation days and fix the dates, unilaterally, in order to cope with the economic, financial and social consequences of the spread of Covid-19. Measures framed by an agreement negotiated with employee representatives or validated by a majority of employees, or even by a branch agreement. These modifications can only concern a maximum of 6 paid days off and the employer must respect a notice period of only one clear day. In addition, the employer can also split leave and not comply with the obligation of simultaneous leave for spouses or civil servants working in the same company.
Should we hurry to book?
In a study conducted by the VVF group and published in early May, we learned that 62% of French people who had not yet planned anything for their holidays were waiting to know the evolution of the health situation before deciding on the summer program. Edouard Philippe's statements therefore logically had an immediate effect on reservations. As of Thursday, rental sites experienced a very marked increase in traffic.
"In half a day, we multiplied the turnover by ten," confirms Stéphane Le Bihan, the managing director of VVF. But with confinement, there had been almost no reservations. We are still very far from the usual level. The trend is three quarters of reservations for the month of August and 80% concentrated in four major regions, New Aquitaine, Brittany and Pays de la Loire, Occitanie and Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes ”.
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HomeExchange also saw a seven-fold increase in home exchange requests in the first week of May compared to the same period in April. "Since the end of April and the announcement of the date of the deconfinement, we have noticed a strong increase in searches for individual houses or villas in France," says one at Abritel, a site for rental offers. These are dwellings with at least a garden and often a swimming pool ”.
Can we go to the beach?
The sea remains the number one attraction for holidaymakers but the return to normal life is not yet on the beaches yet. While hundreds of municipalities are reopening access to the coast this week, the rules prohibit staying on the spot on the sand or grouping with too many people.
The beaches are currently reserved for walking, sporting activities or swimming, respecting the gestures of physical distancing. Measures that we do not yet know if they will still be in effect this summer. For the tanning session lying on a towel, this could be grated.
What about vacation centers?
The clubs and holiday centers, which have been shutdown since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, will begin to reopen. This will be the case from June 5 at Pierre-et-Vacances, which has implemented reinforced hygiene measures to welcome its customers again. In holiday clubs, activities will indeed have to adapt to compliance with the rules of physical distance.
Can we be reimbursed?
The big brands, like Club Med or Center Parcs, undertake, as the government had claimed, to reimburse fully the stays if the evolution of the epidemic did not make it possible to go on vacation. Many possibilities for changing the date of stays are also available.
For rental sites between individuals, such as Airbnb, or platforms such as Booking, make sure of the conditions before booking.
Will there be room for everyone?
A priori, yes. Usually, 9 million French people go abroad in July-August. Of course, they will be forced to stay in France, but they will be able to take the place of the 17 million foreign tourists who may not come to visit our country at the same time.
France is already used to being the first holiday destination for the French. Last year, of the 69% who had planned to leave during the summer, more than half of them (56%) had already chosen to stay in France.
Will we be able to leave with a lot of loved ones?
While Edouard Philippe first mentioned the ban on gatherings of more than ten people in private places, the decree of May 11 sets no limit to the number of guests you can invite to your home and a fortiori with whom you could go on vacation.
"The measures relating to establishments open to the public and to meeting places [...] do not extend to premises used for residential purposes", can we read in the text framing the first phase of deconfinement. The Ministry of the Interior specifies, however, that "hygiene measures must be applied in all places and in all circumstances, including in private places. A reminder of civic responsibility and the responsibility of the French to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus.