It was this Wednesday that the country accelerated its easing of lockdown measures. The President of the Republic had set a favorable trend in epidemic numbers as a condition. His plans, at this stage, are not thwarted.
This second stage is occurring against a backdrop of significant decline in the epidemic at the national level, with the incidence rate dropping to 149 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days, compared to more than 400 at the beginning of April. In the Alpes-Maritimes, the figure is approaching 50/100,000.
As the vaccination campaign reaches 20 million first injections, this new stage provides an opportunity to reconnect with one or several small pleasures of daily life.
French people now have an additional two hours to return home. Many took advantage of this to have a drink or lunch on a terrace, weather permitting. Others returned to cinemas or a museum. These are activities they have been forced to forgo for several months due to the health crisis. These reopenings, however, come with strict capacity limits, notably set at 50% for terraces and 35% in cinemas.
Certainly, it is not quite a return to the “life before,” but it does offer a taste of it. For many, it is not so much the timing that matters as what it symbolizes: the joy of enjoying the present moment.
