Edouard Philippe on the test of deconfinement

"Now is not the time to present the full plan." After two hours of press conference on Sunday, during which many questions and few specific answers were presented, the Prime Minister returned "at the end of April" the details of the rules that will apply to deconfinement, before a debate in Parliament.

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The serious tone, hands hanging on his desk, the Prime Minister first wanted to warn: "The health crisis is not over." An "obviousness" , according to Edouard Philippe, but especially a warning addressed to the French, who, at the end of the first month of confinement on the two imposed by the State, are projected more and more towards May 11, date announced last Monday by Emmanuel Macron to gradually begin a return to normal life. "Our life from May 11 will not be exactly the life before the confinement - not immediately and probably not for a long time," said the head of government.

While practical work on the deconfinement strategy begins on Monday - with a meeting with the leaders of the political parties then another with the ministers concerned and the senior official Jean Castex -, Edouard Philippe said that "living with the virus" without "Proven and known" effective treatment or " vaccine before mid-2021" would imply respecting the triptych of barrier gestures, tests and isolation of people infected with the virus.

While "tensions" persist in equipping healthcare staff with FFP2 masks, gloves, gowns, Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced that 17 million "general public" masks (made of fabric and reusable) will be produced each week in France. Édouard Philippe paved the way for a "probable" wearing of the mandatory mask in public transport from May 11.

Initially, the distribution could be ensured by the "public power" before the French get it in trade. About the tests, Véran ensures that their number will increase from 150,000 to 500,000 per week by the start of the deconfinement, and only for people who show symptoms of coronavirus.

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Regarding the reopening of schools, "sensitive issue" , the Prime Minister mentioned two criteria under study: "by territory" starting with the areas least affected by Covid-19 or by "half class" . "Where possible", companies will have to maintain teleworking beyond May 11, and, if not, consider wearing a mask. "There are so many questions that arise that some (employees) say today:" If it is not clear and guaranteed, I will not go back to work, " admitted Philippe. Our mission is to make it clear and guaranteed. ” What about wedding ceremonies? It is "not reasonable to imagine in the short term that this is possible," said the host of Matignon, who at the same time advises against "traveling far, abroad, very quickly", avoiding the question on the possibility or not of booking rentals this summer in France. One certainty, however: as of Monday, residents of the nursing homes will again be able to receive visits, but in a "supervised" manner , "without physical contact" .

Édouard Philippe takes it one day after another, one decision after another, with great calm

With statistics and maps, the Prime Minister mainly took advantage of this intended educational format to demonstrate that the government's " containment strategy" had proven to be "profitable", and prepared minds for a "brutal economic crisis" . "Before giving the rules of the deconfinement game, it is a good exercise to explain where we are," said the deputy Thierry Solère, close to Edouard Philippe. The Prime Minister aims to "set a clear roadmap" by the end of the month, he said. "Edouard Philippe takes one day after another, one decision after another, with great calm," observes Gilles Boyer, friend of the head of government and former adviser.

Managing this health crisis, however, is like a "tough test" for Philippe, in the words of this MEP. "The French are reassured to see that the president, the prime minister and some ministers on the front line are doing their job," believes Thierry Solère. Still, less than one in two French (46%) trusts the executive to effectively fight against the coronavirus, according to an Ifop poll for Le Journal du dimanche . In this crisis, Édouard Philippe did not escape the trial of those who would like to see him give up his place. “The Prime Minister seems out of step. We do not know at all his vision for the future… ”, blows a parliamentarian from the left wing. The head of government has indeed remained behind on this subject, while Emmanuel Macron consults at all costs to "reinvent himself" . "Afterwards interests the Prime Minister like when you are in 1941 and thinking about the Liberation is nice. But we must first arrive in 1945, ” retorts Thierry Solère. And there is still a long way to go.