The President of the Republic announced a number of measures and recommendations during his televised address last night.
The Government will detail the measures and their implementation in the coming days;
Nurseries, schools, middle schools, and high schools will “gradually” reopen starting May 11
“The government will [have to] establish special rules, organize time and space differently, and protect our teachers and children with the necessary equipment.”
On the other hand, for higher education students, “classes will not resume physically until summer.”
“Vulnerable people” will have to remain confined “after May 11”
“This concerns the elderly, those with severe disabilities, and people with chronic illnesses.”
Public places will remain closed after May 11
However, he mentioned exceptions: cafes, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, theaters, performance halls, and museums. These venues that accommodate the public will remain closed after May 11.
“On May 11, France will be able to test anyone showing symptoms”
Anyone with symptoms should be able to get tested. Those who have the virus can then be quarantined and taken care of,” the president specified.
The use of masks could become systematic after May 11
Furthermore, starting May 11, “in connection with the mayors, the state must enable every French person to obtain a public-use mask.” “For the most exposed professions and for certain situations such as in public transport, its use could become systematic,” he specified.
Support for workers
Emmanuel Macron emphasized that partial unemployment measures and funding for businesses will be extended.
The Head of State also sent a message to banks. He wants them to “delay deadlines and for insurance companies to step up.”
An “exceptional support for the most modest families”
Emmanuel Macron announced an “exceptional support for the most modest families,” and for “the most precarious students,” affected by the coronavirus crisis.
The assemblies consulted on the coronavirus dedicated app
A dedicated digital application, “on a voluntary and anonymous basis, will allow you to know whether or not you have been in contact” with a person positive for Covid-19, indicated Emmanuel Macron, who specified that parliamentarians will be consulted on this issue.
“We are at a moment of truth, of rebuilding”
“We are at a moment of truth that demands more ambition, more boldness, a moment of rebuilding,” he said. “It will be up to us to rebuild a French agricultural, health, industrial, and technological independence, and more strategic autonomy for our Europe (…). We will need to build a strategy where we regain the long-term, the ability to plan, carbon sobriety, resilience…”
