Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was on Tuesday evening the guest of the 8:00 pm of France 2. Live from his office in Matignon, he hammered the instructions repeated since Monday, answering concrete questions that the French are now asking. Is it possible, for example, to go to the funeral of a loved one who died of the Covid-19? "We must not derogate from the common rule," replied the Prime Minister, confirming the message sent on Monday evening by the Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner: "Stay at home!" Le Figaro takes stock of what is allowed and what is no longer.
● No exit without certificate
For any trip, you must first fill out a certificate on your honor which will indicate, in the event of an inspection, the reason for your outing. It can be downloaded from the website of the Ministry of the Interior. Print it or copy on useful paper the useful information. The PDF can be downloaded and filled directly on your smartphone. Travel must be brief, near the home. For outings, the certificate will have to be renewed daily: "This allows you to verify that the rules are being followed" , justified the Prime Minister. Taking out your dog daily is allowed, but not in a group, as is bringing him to the veterinarian for an appointment.
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● Restricted use of vehicles
Monday "go to his country house" but only to settle there for the duration of confinement, and not for a leisure trip, was still possible. On Tuesday, flexibility was no longer required. Of course, those who are “outside their domicile or their residence” can move to return there, but for the others, the rule is strict. Travel between the home and the place or places of exercise of the professional activity is authorized. Travel for health reasons is also authorized, as well as for imperative family reasons, for the assistance of vulnerable persons or the care of children.
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● Daily transport in slow motion
Two out of three metros, one RER out of two and 70% of the trams… In Paris, public transport was idling on Monday. The government will further restrict the transport offer due to a drop in attendance which reached more than 80% at RATP on Tuesday. On Wednesday, there will therefore be only 50% of metros on average. "All of this is managed on a day-to-day basis, while ensuring that people who need to use transport can do so in good conditions," it is said at the Ministry of Transport. But new health safety regulations will be applied: in buses, access will be through the rear door and a row will separate the driver from the first passenger. In addition, vehicles (train, metro, bus, etc.) must be disinfected once a day. Operators who fail to do so will lose their right to operate their network. For those who are obliged to go to work, the use of the car (individual, taxi or VTC) is always possible. Service stations remain open. However, it will be difficult to borrow a shared scooter. Many large operators (Bird present in Paris and Marseille, VOI, active in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux…) have suspended their service.
● Long distance transport at half mast
A drastic drop in supply is looming, especially at SNCF. "We are going to reduce the frequency and cadence of long distance trains , " said Secretary of State for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari. From Wednesday, there will be a little less than 40% of TGVs and a little more than 30% of Intercities. If the government does not completely stop these trains, it is because they are frequented in particular by health personnel needing to come to work or by patients treated for serious pathologies. However, FlixBus and BlaBlaCar have decided to stop their long distance coaches. As for airplanes, on the domestic network, the vast majority will remain grounded. Air France plans to reduce its services by 80%. "There will still be some cross-provincial connections between provinces for healthcare professionals , " says Jean-Baptiste Djebbari. There will be some flights to European capitals.
● Family gatherings, sport and religion
It is forbidden to be together in the street or in an apartment, during a party, a meal. Prohibition to go to retirement homes, prisons or orphanages, except in certain special situations. Group sports are prohibited, but individual physical activity is allowed, to practice "sparingly" , near the home. Masses are suppressed, Muslim and Jewish places of worship are closed.
● Purchases and deliveries
Even if bars, restaurants, breweries have closed doors, take-out and delivery are maintained in restaurants and drinking places. As long as you stay a meter away or wear a mask, purchases of basic necessities are allowed in authorized establishments: pharmacies (where sales of paracetamol are now limited, due to lack of sufficient stocks), frozen food stores and general food, supermarkets and hypermarkets, fruit and vegetables, fishmongers, butchers, bakeries. Also accessible: car maintenance and repair shops, supply stores necessary for agricultural holdings, food distributions provided by charities, press and tobacco offices, pet shops, laundries, funeral services and computer and communications equipment repair stores. Plumbers and electricians can intervene in an emergency.
● The police on the bridge
They will draw up a PV of 38 euros, which will soon increase to 135 euros, for any violation of the confinement rules. Police stations and gendarmeries remain open throughout the country but refocus on their priority missions. While the staffs have put in place their "business continuity plan", the police have set themselves three objectives: that there be an operator responding to 17 (police) 24 hours a day , that emergency responses are provided in the event of attacks or burglaries and that complaints can be taken for the most serious acts. As summed up by a police official: "The idea is that the royal forces can function, even in degraded mode, so as not to leave the street to delinquency while providing assistance to the victims." At the forefront of the implementation of the government's containment plan, the Paris police are paying particular attention to the closure of businesses while the gendarmes are responsible for protecting national palaces and operators of vital importance, such as nuclear power plants. .
● Justice in degraded mode
The courts remain open because justice can neither stop nor go in camera. But they work refocused on criminal and civil emergencies. Only 30% on average of activity and staff are maintained. The emphasis is put on a few immediate appearance and correctional hearings to manage the litigation of freedoms, as well as on the most serious civil summary proceedings. For many courts, the road is narrow between limiting landfills so as not to clog up an idling machine, and the fight against impunity. Because the magistrates fear the delinquency induced by confinement on the most fragile targets: single and elderly people, but also vulnerable businesses like pharmacies. In addition, within a few hours, the justice system will sanction breaches of the confinement rules. In prisons, the most drastic plan is now applied: absence of visiting rooms and activities.
● Thousands of post offices closed
Of the 8,000 offices usually open, only 1,600 were operating on Tuesday. A significant difference which is explained by the organization of La Poste. It has, for a long time, installed on French territory thousands of agencies run by a single employee. It is enough that it ceases its activity for the office to draw the curtain. “We are currently working on opening agencies that will cover more important sectors. To deal with possible staff defections, these agencies will be manned by several employees, ”they say at La Poste. While the distribution of mail took place almost normally on Tuesday, the Sud-PTT union relayed the serious concerns of the factors, some of which have argued their right of withdrawal. This is the case in Marseille, Lille, Lorient, Toulouse, Caen, Vitrolles and even Paris. The union denounces the lack of means put in place to protect employees.
● Pick up of garbage cans down
Some cities have already announced a limited waste collection service. Thus in Angers, it was decided that from this Wednesday and until further notice, it would be set up, with half of the workforce for the collection of household waste and sorting. This collection will be ensured every second time and no collection of bulky items will take place. As for waste treatment, it is ensured without risk of business interruption.
● Gas and electricity, business continuity guaranteed
Qualified as an operator of vital importance, EDF must ensure the continuity of its activities to guarantee electricity production. To do this, the group has had, since 2000, a pandemic plan, which should enable it to run its nuclear power plants. Engie, which supplies gas and electricity, has also taken all necessary measures to guarantee the continuity of its activities.