France eases confinement but there will be no complete de-escalation until the end of January

A French family listens to President Emmanuel Macron's new speech on the coronavirus.PASCAL ROSSIGNOL / Reuters

Normality will not immediately return to France.

The president, Emmanuel Macron, confirmed this Tuesday that the new national confinement experienced by the 67 million French since October 30 will be "softened", but will not end entirely soon.

The de-escalation - a word that was not even spoken - will be very progressive, in three stages and, at the earliest, will culminate at the end of January.

For the moment, and as expected, "non-essential" shops closed for almost four weeks, such as clothing stores or bookstores, will be able to reopen from Saturday, as well as places of worship.

Museums and theaters must wait until December 15 at least.

The date is even more distant for restaurants or gyms: they can only open from January 20, "if possible," the president warned on the same day that the country surpassed the barrier of 50,000 deaths from covid-19. .

“We have to continue our efforts (…) We must do everything possible to avoid a third wave and a third lockdown,” Macron said in a new speech to the nation focused on the coronavirus, the eighth since the beginning of the crisis in March.

In the immediate future, from the morning of next Saturday 28, although the slogan will continue to be to stay at home as much as possible and it will be necessary to continue signing an affidavit for each trip, a “new stage” will open in which the French will be able to travel with a little more freedom: the limit of going out to exercise or walk a maximum of one hour within one kilometer of the home has been extended to 20 kilometers and up to three hours.

All shops may also reopen, although with a reinforced health protocol and until 9:00 p.m. at the latest.

From Saturday, it will also be possible to celebrate mass and other services, although with a limit of 30 people.

Likewise, extracurricular activities in the open air are once again allowed.

Macron's stated goal was to offer a minimal roadmap to a population that, unlike in the spring, has lived through this second lockdown with much more impatience and tension.

In recent weeks, there have been protests from small businesses, but also from Catholic movements demanding to be able to celebrate mass again.

“Nothing is worse than uncertainty and the impression of living an endless sadness.

It takes coherence, clarity, an objective.

It is difficult because the pandemic is unpredictable and worldwide, but that is the key to trust, which in turn is the key to success, ”he acknowledged to the

on Sunday

.

Two days later, he called on the French "not to fall into resignation or anger" and to adopt, collectively, a "spirit of responsibility."

The plan for the coming weeks and months has been drawn up as it was confirmed not only that the peak of the second wave has passed, but that it returns to controllable epidemic figures: on Monday, with 4,452 new cases confirmed in 24 hours It was the first day since September 28 that 5,000 infections were not exceeded, a limit established as a goal by Macron.

On November 7, 86,000 were exceeded.

Although the figures have been drastically reduced, this Tuesday Public Health announced, shortly before the presidential speech, 9,155 new infections.

In addition, although waning data from hospitals also confirm a drop in tension, the epidemic continues to wreak havoc: this Tuesday, France had 50,237 fatalities since the beginning of the crisis.

However, Macron was confident that, by December 15, the goal of 5,000 maximum daily infections and a resuscitation occupation of up to 3,000 patients will be maintained.

If it is achieved, a second stage of the de-escalation will open that will allow "spending Christmas with the family", although the president has made it clear that these holidays "will not be like the others."

The idea is to change the confinement in mid-December for a new curfew between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., although on 24 and 31 it will be possible to circulate freely until later.

Of course, the massive crowds in the street "will not be tolerated," Macron has advanced.

Cinemas, theaters and museums may also reopen, with reinforced sanitary protocols.

The third and last stage will take place on January 20.

If the epidemic continues to be controlled, bars, restaurants and gyms, which have been closed for a month, will be able to operate again.

Aware of its economic sacrifice, Macron has announced new aid for these sectors: compensation equivalent to 20% of its 2019 turnover or an aid of 10,000 euros from the solidarity fund.

On that date, secondary schools, some of which currently only host 50% of students in class, will be able to fully reopen and, at the beginning of February, face-to-face classes are also expected to return to universities.

Macron has repeatedly stressed the importance of "collective responsibility" and has called for continuing to respect basic measures: masks, use of hydroalcoholic gel and social distance.

The president has advanced his conviction that the first vaccines will be available in late December or early January, especially for the most vulnerable population, and that a "second generation" will arrive in spring.

Although France wants to carry out a "rapid and massive" vaccination campaign, getting vaccinated will not be, in any case, mandatory, Macron has assured.

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