The Austrian example does not win the support of the French authorities.
Asked about RMC on Thursday, the Minister of the Economy said he was “
not in favor
” of confinement that would only affect unvaccinated people, qualifying this measure as “
discriminatory
”.
Read alsoCovid-19: would it be possible to confine the unvaccinated only in France?
"
I am above all in favor of avoiding these measures, of avoiding new confinement, and of everyone making the necessary effort to be vaccinated, to protect themselves
", commented Bruno Le Maire. . Saying "
share the concern
" of professionals in the face of a fifth wave that could parasitize the holiday season, the boss of Bercy estimated that France could not "
afford
" a new confinement. "
It would be too hard for the French, restaurateurs, traders, for each of us, for our children, for French society as a whole,
" said the minister.
The executive has already expressed its opposition to a new confinement: Tuesday, the government spokesman assured "that
no confinement is planned today
", adding however that the country was "
on alert
" .
"
There are no plans to take additional measures,
" then confirmed Gabriel Attal on Wednesday.
But the situation can change with the epidemic: the door is therefore not completely closed.
"
Public money has been spent wisely, at the right time
"
On RMC, the boss of Bercy also defended the government's choices, assuring that the “
whatever the cost
” of Emmanuel Macron had allowed France to safeguard its public finances. Without the emergency measures, growth would have been weakened, jobs lost and debt would have been higher, standing at "
126%
", he said, relying in particular on data from the Institute of Public Policy and Cepremap. "
Public money has been spent wisely, at the right time,
" he said.
The Minister also said he was in favor of a reflection on the mechanism for reducing charges which can benefit jobs paid less than 1.6 minimum wage.
These reductions "
create a poverty trap
" by capping wages below this level, said Bruno Le Maire, defending a "
more progressive
" system.
A change in the mechanism would increase wages and strengthen employment, at a significant cost to public finances, however.