All that for that, some will say.
After a week of alarmist messages, the government has decided not to put the country under cover.
"The question of confinement is legitimately raised", but "this evening we consider that we can still give ourselves a chance to avoid confinement", announced Jean Castex.
The Prime Minister spoke at 8:36 p.m. from the Elysee Palace, after a surprise Defense Council.
Only a handful of ministers, the pillars of government, attended.
The Presidency warned them an hour and a half before the summit meeting.
A spectacular acceleration of events.
Strangely, the Minister of National Education was not on the call.
By listening to his head of government on television, Jean-Michel Blanquer in any case had to push a sigh of relief, he who fought against school closures.
"By not announcing anything about schools this Friday evening, we can consider that we have obtained an additional respite of at least a week", we slip in his entourage.
But the mass is not definitively said.
"The next few days will be decisive", warned the Prime Minister.
“We are not necessarily facing a wall,” explains an adviser to the executive.
We do not yet see the rise, the inexorable peak predicted by scientists.
We still have a little time to react.
"
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It is an understatement to say that the tone has changed.
Earlier this week, government spokesman Gabriel Attal spoke of the trail of “very tight” confinement and extended school vacations.
Even if it means plunging public opinion into a state of anxiety ... Friday afternoon, before the meeting of the Defense Council, Jean Castex and Olivier Véran still defended a hard line in front of the social partners.
The message was clear: it is necessary "to slow down suddenly and quickly the epidemic before one can no longer master anything with the English variant.
To better dramatize, Matignon had invited the epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet.
A map of the countries under confinement was presented to the participants.
Shortly before, Jean Castex had spoken with Marine Le Pen, within the framework of exchanges with the political forces.
"I suggested to the Prime Minister to put everyone on vacation for five weeks, that is to say the equivalent of the three zones, and for schools, colleges, high school and universities, entrusts the former Parisian presidential finalist.
In order to create a sort of crawl space, on the understanding that the problem is that the virus circulates a lot in children but that they do not develop it.
"
"Leave oxygen to the country"
Clearly, the political ground was cleared for a turn of the screw.
But it was without counting on Emmanuel Macron, who chose to ease off.
"The president tries to retain as much as possible the decisions to leave oxygen in the country, he does not want to give in to panic and even less to injunctions", confides an intimate.
The head of state was marked by the images of anti-curfew riots in the Netherlands.
He is not expected to speak this weekend on television.
"Giving yourself a few days of reflection to know if you refine or not and take the field after having already hit two confinements, that is called wisdom, argues a senior leader.
The media explain to the French that vaccines may not be effective against all variants.
People took a hit on the decanter.
"
Finally, the only restrictions added to the current arsenal will relate to gauges in large non-food stores and international travel.
From Sunday, France will close its borders to countries outside the European Union, "unless there is a compelling reason," Castex said in his speech.
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VIDEO. Jean Castex: large non-food shopping centers closed and strict border controls
For the Prime Minister, sent in front of the cameras to reveal the position of the executive, the day will have been busy.
In the morning, he visited the police in Grigny in Essonne and then assembled an interministerial committee on the City.
A first since 2013, marked by the announcement of 3.3 billion euros in aid of all kinds (urban renewal, mediators, sports facilities) for neighborhoods.
"The health crisis worsens the economic crisis, which worsens the social crisis," he told our newspaper.
We have to be on all fronts.
It would be wrong to only provide sanitation by abandoning other fields.
It is not an option ”.