The national curfew was passed on March 20 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“An adjustment linked to the imminent arrival of summer time,” Prime Minister Jean Castex indicated in his last Covid-19 press conference.
By implication, the government is giving the French one more hour to take advantage of the longer days.
Not enough for several Parisians met in the 14th arrondissement this Friday morning.
“Having the curfew while it's still daylight, I experience it more unfairly than in winter.
When it was dark, it was nice to cocoon at home, read in dim light or cook.
In summer, we still have plenty of things to do outside in the evening, ”Judge Fabienne, 55, author of fictions.
“It's hard to find time to walk around during the weeks of school.
There is a strong temptation to go out in the evening on sunny days, to taste the simple things of life before: picnicking, seeing the sunset… ”adds Valentine, a 17-year-old high school student.
"With the sun setting later, there is a risk that young people, in particular, will stay outside," fears Claire Leconte, professor emeritus of educational psychology and chronobiologist.
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“With the curfew, people are being asked to stay at home, while summer time, two hours ahead of solar time, encourages more outdoor recreation than daylight saving time. winter, which is only an hour apart from the sun, ”defends Laetitia Moreau-Gabarain, president of the Citizen's Association for fair and sustainable time, against summer time.
Over 30,000 curfew violations
According to the Ministry of the Interior, since the strengthening of curfew measures, already 32,801 offenses relating to Covid-19 (excluding PV for not wearing a mask) have been recorded from March 20 to 25 in France.
To calm the frustrations of the French asked to stay at home after 7 p.m., Claire Leconte offers several solutions: eat at noon, if possible, in the open air, ask companies to release their employees earlier or raise the curfew to 8 p.m. hours.
“People would have more time to recover from natural light, which affects the quality of sleep and morale.
They could also practice a physical activity, beneficial for falling asleep, and discuss more serenely with their children.
With this curfew, people always have the feeling of running and hurrying, ”thinks Claire Leconte.
She recalls that after a year of health crisis, "many people have developed sleep disorders".
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“Being able to spend an extra hour outdoors is good for your overall health.
The light to which the organism should be exposed is crucial in updating the biological clock and in activating the processes of vigilance, cognition, mood and memory ”, explains Claude Gronfier, researcher at the center Lyon neuroscience researcher at Inserm and chronobiologist.
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“The two previous confinements, the first during summer time, the second during winter time, have increased the psychological and psychiatric impacts in a large number of French people.
We are currently carrying out studies to find out to what extent the time change has affected these disorders, ”he explains.
"But we already know that summer time, further from solar time than winter time (or standard time), has negative effects on sleep, biology and human health. , which evolved with natural light and dark.
"