It is the first time that a member of the government has publicly addressed the sensitive issue of deconfinement. The Prime Minister reserved the premiere of the executive's reflections on this subject for the members of the fact-finding mission on the coronavirus epidemic, who met for the first time on Wednesday afternoon. Édouard Philippe answered a question from the President of the Assembly, Richard Ferrand, relaying a questioning of the French "who have understood the entry and who want to be able to imagine the exit" . "It is likely that we are not moving towards a general and absolute deconfinement, at once, everywhere and for everyone , " said the head of government, announcing that a "deconfinement strategy" may be presented "in the days, the week ' to come. This will be "discussed" , promised Philippe, and will take into account "health imperatives".
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"Several teams are working" on this subject , assured the Prime Minister, referring to the possibility of a "regionalized" deconfinement, "subject to a test policy" , or "depending on age groups" . "We appraise scenarios according to the hypotheses," he explained. This strategy will depend on "our ability to test" , "how the virus has circulated" . "We are in a fight against a virus, a long fight which will last, a difficult combat which will imply bad news sometimes, disappointments which I do not want to hide, from any of our fellow citizens, the harshness", insisted Philippe, recalling that decisions are taken "on the basis of sometimes incomplete and often contradictory information" .
Tracking does not exist in France, because it would not be legally permitted
Edouard PhilippeThe Prime Minister, and the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, then answered the many questions from the deputies, who participated in this first hearing by videoconference. Questioned by the president of the Law Commission, Yaël Braun-Pivet (La République en Marche), Édouard Philippe said that the government "was not working today on instruments that would make tracking mandatory" , namely the use geolocation to track the circulation of the virus. "This device does not exist in France, because it would not be legally permitted," said the Prime Minister, not excluding, however, from using these methods "on the basis of a voluntary commitment" .
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The subject of the organization of the baccalaureate was also the subject of a long development by the head of government. "It will not be possible to organize under normal conditions the bac 2020" , unsurprisingly, said Philippe, adding that the date of May 4 advanced by the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer for the resumption of classes was, at this stage, only a "hypothesis" . "Several options are on the table" , concerning the baccalaureate, such as the possibility of organizing a continuous assessment or even trying to keep, at a minimum, only one test. The Prime Minister also announced that he would meet with the president of La Poste on Thursday to discuss the issue of mail delivery. The Keeper of the Seals Nicole Belloubet and the Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner will be auditioned, in turn, next week.