Elisabeth Borne, at the head of the Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, is "used" to managing crises. As during his long career. "But there it is new We are on the bridge all day long," she breathes, on the phone, coming back from a long Defense Council on the epidemic of coronavirus.
Friday, Emmanuel Macron said again that we were "at the beginning of the crisis". The aim of the Defense Council was to prepare this long time?
ÉLISABETH BORNE. Totally. We discussed how, in each sector, we must organize ourselves so that the country copes with this health crisis, the most serious in a century. As far as I am concerned, this means that we continue to have water, electricity, waste is treated, and the logistics chain works. Healthcare workers are on the front line to save lives, but there are also all the people who represent the back line, in telework or in the field, and who do everything to keep our country standing. We must also help them. For example, we had to make some adjustments this week, especially with the truckers who could no longer find places to eat or take a shower. These are reopening and we will list them on the Smart Bison website.
Do they need recognition?
All these French people are our everyday heroes. We must do everything so that they can work in good conditions, including security.
Some, who consider themselves to be little regarded, threaten to assert their right of withdrawal. Are requisitions envisaged if necessary?
The answer is in social dialogue. We talk hour after hour with employers and federations to set up barrier gestures that allow people who must be on the ground to work serenely. For example, plexiglass windows are being gradually installed for cashiers.
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You talk about "everyday heroes", but who exactly are they?
It's everywhere! In the treatment plants, those who work to guarantee us clean and good quality water. Those who oversee the supply of energy in our power stations. The same goes for our gas networks, or even those that transport us by train. It's like in war: there are those on the front and there is the rear line. I invite the French who applaud the caregivers, on the front line, from their windows at 8 pm, to also have a thought for them.
Concerning water, no reason to worry?
I again exchanged Thursday with the actors of this vital branch. We need water everywhere, quality water that is well distributed. We all take care of it.
How will waste collection be able to continue under good sanitary conditions?
As in all the other sectors, we have thought about how the work can be done while respecting safety rules. This is the reason why there are no longer three but two people in the truck. It takes longer but the job is done safely.
Are you thinking about an exceptional bonus for these employees?
Obviously, there is that kind of thinking. This was discussed with Medef and the Minister of the Economy. Work must be able to be valued. But I know that not everyone in their position has waited for the prospect of a bonus before assuming their responsibilities.
Do you feel that all French people have not yet understood the urgency of the situation?
Many French people understand this and organize themselves properly to stay at home. But it is enough to see the ways on the banks this week in Paris to see that a certain number of people have still not grasped the emergency. We will therefore close them, just as we have already closed the beaches along the coast. But also further strengthen controls, and if necessary, sanctions, especially in stations upstream of weekends or holidays.
VIDEO. Containment: the quays of the Seine prohibited to the public
Friday morning, government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye seemed to prepare the French for a longer confinement ...
We must remember that this crisis will not stop in eight days. It will last a while.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, has implemented a curfew. Is it possible throughout the territory?
A number of mayors warn that in order to comply with the rules, a curfew may be necessary. The prefects will accompany them in this direction when necessary.
Many sectors of the economy sometimes slow down. Should we worry about it?
Faced with a new situation, we respond, we adapt. Everyone must understand that we have entered a war economy where many companies are mobilizing, including to provide us with what we lacked. For example, LVMH (editor's note: owner of the Parisian - Today in France) begins to produce hydroalcoholic gel, which is not its primary activity. In the Grand Est region, a group of companies has been formed to produce masks. You see, we adapt the production chain of our economy to have the right products where it is needed. That's the war economy.
However, the four main French producers of masks were not prevented, until February, from exporting their production. Haven't the public authorities been able to anticipate?
In every crisis, there are those who are at the front and those who rewrite history. We will take stock at the end. The president and the government are mobilized. And then we are too often used to talking about what is going wrong, but there are also many people who mobilize to help. This is the case of the shipping company CMA-CGM who yesterday ( Thursday ) contacted us to offer 100,000 masks to hospitals. We face.
VIDEO. Castaner: "Checks in stations and airports this weekend"