Like a holiday feeling hovered over Lake Créteil.
A couple having a picnic, elders chatting on a bench, a group of young women sitting in the grass laughing out loud, masks removed.
This Monday, despite the end of the school holidays, the sun had pushed people to take advantage of the green setting of the leisure island.
Did they anticipate a possible confinement from the next weekend?
This is the hypothesis towards which the Val-de-Marne, a department "under enhanced surveillance", is heading.
The incidence rate is at the top of Ile-de-France, with 348 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
"Irresponsible for not taking action"
This Monday, the new prefect of Val-de-Marne, barely installed in her functions, announced to move towards "new restrictive measures at the weekend".
"Our guideline is the protection of populations against the virus," warns Sophie Thibault.
It would be irresponsible not to take measures on the pretext that they would be difficult for some people to bear.
"
Créteil, this Monday.
Sophie Thibault, new prefect of Val-de-Marne, in her office.
LP / Agnes Vives
Asked Friday February 26 on a possible reconfinement after the intervention of Prime Minister Jean Castex Thursday evening, some elected officials, such as the mayor (PCF) of Ivry-sur-Seine, highlighted the psychological fragility of their citizens, after a year health and economic crisis.
Others wanted to strengthen prevention measures, massive tests, etc.
Mayors, as in Ivry, Bonneuil, have decided to distribute new masks to schoolchildren.
As well as the department for college students.
Over the next few days, discussions with elected officials must continue to refine the system to be put in place, on the basis of that at work in Dunkirk (North) and Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), according to the roadmap given by Jean Castex to the prefects on Saturday.
"We need them to carry the message, they are the ones who know their constituents the best", pleads the prefect, as she intends to repeat during her traditional "courtesy visits".
Harmonize with neighboring departments?
This confinement, which could be operational from this weekend if the legal texts are taken, will it be located only in Val-de-Marne?
For Sophie Thibault, it will only have meaning if it is "harmonized between the various neighboring departments".
A position shared by several elected officials, favorable to regional confinement, "as in last fall for two weeks, without closing schools, followed by a clear deconfinement plan until the summer", reacted this weekend Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor (Free!) Of L'Haÿ-les-Roses, according to which “half-measures do not make much sense”.
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To this confinement, “stricter” controls should be added to enforce the rules.
"We will see how we manage between education and sanction in neighborhoods where housing is not suitable," concedes the representative of the State.
More vaccine doses for 94
Who says confinement, also says vaccination.
The Val-de-Marne could thus benefit from additional doses, as was done for the Alpes-Maritimes.
The dose allocations are now differentiated according to the health situation.
Since the start of the vaccination campaign, 5,000 weekly doses have been allocated to the department.
Too few, denounced the mayors, or the president (PCF) of the departmental council who pointed out, according to his calculations, an under-staffing.
To date, in Val-de-Marne, according to the prefect, 65,000 people have been vaccinated, 43,000 have had their first injection.
Thursday March 4, the first mobile vaccination teams are to start in an independent residence in Villejuif.
The departmental council is giving itself two months to have vaccinated the residents of the 52 autonomous residences in Val-de-Marne.