After the lack of confinement, with his procession of trial and error, improvidence and contradictions, Édouard Philippe had to start deconfinement on better rails. The result? A structured and detailed speech of more than an hour, Tuesday, in front of the deputies, presenting the plan of exit of the containment. This speech is the result of a final six-hour arbitration meeting, held the day before at the Élysée Palace, then of final validation by the Head of State during a Defense Council. The government's objective: " Avoid the collapse " of the country and its economy.
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" We will have to live with the virus, " warned the Prime Minister. But to restore visibility to the French, Édouard Philippe set the various milestones for a calendar to return to normal, very spread out over time.
It all starts on May 11, of course, on one condition, however: " We will not deconfine May 11, or we will do it more strictly ", if the situation marks a decline, warned the Prime Minister, worried about the possible loosening of French. If this is not the case, schools, nurseries, shops, libraries and small museums may reopen. On May 18, the colleges will in turn resume service. At the end of May, a decision will be made for high schools, bars, restaurants, with a view to opening in June. Religious ceremonies can be held from June 2, the new pivotal date of deconfinement. Finally, the football championship and other major sporting or cultural events will not resume until, at least, September. This calendar will finally be modulated locally, according to the degree of circulation of the virus. Some departments will be cataloged " green ", others " red ".
Hiding behind scientists to hide his own hesitations, the Prime Minister admits to having changed his mindTo avoid a relapse, Édouard Philippe promises enough masks " to meet the needs from May 11 ". A very sensitive subject, which has become the emblem of distrust of the government. Hiding behind the scientists to hide his own hesitations, the Prime Minister admits to having changed his mind. “ They tell us today, sometimes the same ones, that it is better, in many circumstances, to wear a mask rather than not wearing one. And it is therefore up to me to say it. They will be compulsory in transport and in colleges. At the same time, the government promises 700,000 tests per week, with " brigades " to reassemble the transmission chains, as soon as a case of Covid-19 is revealed.
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Seniors will not have to present exit certificates. As for the question of tracing tools, Édouard Philippe kicked in to avoid the political trap, promising a specific debate and vote. "The essential is there," sums up the president of MoDem, François Bayrou. Confidence in the field, flexibility in application, masks in transport and differentiation between departments. ” Essential ingredients to successfully complete the delicate stage of May 11, and to try to regain the confidence of the French, who are increasingly defiant of power.
Difficult not to see also, in the background of this digression, an answer to rumors about the deterioration of his relations with the Head of StateCalling everyone to show humility in the face of events, the Prime Minister castigated "these are times of media democracy, of networks that are not very social but very angry, of nervous immediacy". "These words marked his annoyance towards those who, comfortably from their couch, gloss on there's only, we have to, and who can say anything and everything, because they don't have no direct responsibility for managing the crisis, ” deciphers a member of the government. Difficult not to see also, in the background of this digression, a response to rumors about the deterioration of his relations with the head of state. Date of the municipal elections, calendar of the deconfinement, regionalization or not of the process, postponement of the vote on the exit plan: the differences arise.
To the point that two weeklies, L'Express and Le Point , assured, Tuesday, that the head of state had called journalists to scratch the " rigidity " of his prime minister. A version " categorically denied " by the Élysée, which denounces the work of " pharmacies who want to create a theory of reshuffle ". "There is never anything pleasant to be screened the back of arrows while you are in the mine to make all the efforts to solve an extremely complex equation", laments a close of the head of state.
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By coincidence or coincidence, the Prime Minister concluded his speech by referring to his first solemn address in July 2017. As if he in turn wanted to mark the end of a cycle, make an initial assessment or demand a more consistent method that " rigid ". “ I had then mentioned this ancient quality from which the Romans drew their strength: virtue, which mixes straightness, honesty and courage. I was far from imagining how essential this quality would be in the coming weeks to prepare our future, the future of our children, the future of France . ” A sibylline passage that will not fail to fuel speculation about the destiny and ambitions of the Prime Minister. “So far, Édouard Philippe has internalized the precariousness of his function, says one of his friends. He knows it can stop overnight. This is what makes it strong. ”
