Back to school, vaccine booster, Afghanistan ... what to remember from Gabriel Attal's announcements

The holidays were studious, the recovery is at least as much.

Emmanuel Macron held the first Council of Ministers back to school on Wednesday.

A meeting marked of course by the organization of the start of the school year in this period of health crisis.

The government is facing an uneven spread of the epidemic on the territory, while the virus strikes very strongly overseas, especially in Guadeloupe and Martinique.

"In most departments, the epidemic seems to be on the decline but the virus continues to circulate very strongly," recalls Gabriel Attal.

Back to school postponed to September 13 in the West Indies

Many local elected officials in Guadeloupe and Martinique requested it, it is formalized by the government: the start of the school year is postponed to September 13 in these two overseas territories, but also in San Marino, Saint-Barthélemy, and in the red classified areas of Guyana.

"Under vaccination is wreaking havoc" in these territories which are facing the most significant epidemic wave since the start of the crisis, said Gabriel Attal, also referring to the case of Polynesia, reconfined with closure of schools since last Monday .

The epidemic has particularly "flared" in children and adolescents, with an incidence rate (number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past week) among 0-9 year olds of 312 in Martinique and 444 in Guadeloupe.

Among 10-19 year olds, it rises - respectively - to 846 and 1583.

In mainland France, the start of the school year scheduled for Thursday, September 2 will take place at level 2 of the health protocol, as announced by Jean-Michel Blanquer last Sunday.

A massive vaccination campaign will be deployed around middle and high schools, continues the spokesperson.

The objective is to allow as many young people as possible to have a complete vaccination schedule by the All Saints holidays.

The incidence rate is falling, but ...

If the epidemic has been declining in France in recent days - the incidence rate has fallen by 12% in one week - the number of patients treated in hospitals and in critical care services is still increasing.

Without vaccines, hospital pressure would even be "two to three times stronger" than it would be today, said Gabriel Attal.

Booster dose for over 65s confirmed

As recommended by the Haute Autorité de Santé on Tuesday, residents aged 65 and over and those with co-morbidities will be invited to receive a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine (most often a third dose). announced Gabriel Attal.

The precise timetable should be announced "in the next few days", but the injections should not start until October.

On the other hand, from the beginning of September, those over 80 and people suffering from diseases at very high risk of severe form of Covid-19 or immunocompromised will be the first invited to be “stung” again.

The goal: to boost immunity, which seems to decline over the months, especially against the Delta variant.

Afghanistan evacuations to stop by August 31

The health situation is not the only concern of the government. Last week, the Taliban captured the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. Since then, thousands of Afghans have tried to flee the country. But on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden, despite calls made in Europe, confirmed that the evacuations would cease on August 31, the date officially scheduled to complete the US withdrawal from the country.

“In recent days, evacuation operations have multiplied.

Due to the extreme tension on the spot, these evacuations are a real race against time, ”says Gabriel Attal.

The government spokesperson said more than 2,500 people have been evacuated since Tuesday.

From a security point of view, he says that each arrival on French territory is "scrutinized" and verified by the French intelligence services.

In Kabul, Abu Dhabi and France.

However, these operations will have to end by the time of the American withdrawal, without the spokesperson being able to give a precise date.

"The economic recovery is here"

This is the good news of this new school year and the government is praising the merits of its action taken to support the economy and businesses throughout the health crisis period.

Growth on the rise, unemployment on the decline ... Economic indicators are good and the executive intends to reward the fruits of the doctrine of whatever the cost initiated in March 2020.

"Thanks to" whatever the cost "and thanks to the recovery plan, the good news is there," said Gabriel Attal, who sees it as excellent news for all French people.