Inside France is our weekly look at the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

The C word

It’s the topic no-one really wanted to talk about again, but we appear to be back in the world of masks, testing and daily infection rate statistics – yes, Covid’s back.

France appears to be firmly in the grip of a seventh wave as recorded cases soar, hospitalisations rise and all of a sudden we’re again hearing from friends, family and colleagues who have tested positive.

147 248 cas positifs ont été publiés aujourd’hui, une hausse de 55% par rapport à mardi dernier.

→ Moyenne quotidienne sur une semaine : 78 451 cas (+56%). pic.twitter.com/l24kOnWMLo

— GRZ (@GuillaumeRozier) June 28, 2022

There are no new restrictions yet, although the health ministry is preparing a contingency plan, but masks are now ‘strongly recommended’ on public transport, and if you’re travelling by train or Metro, you’re likely to hear more public announcements urging passengers to put their masks back on for the sake of all travellers.

Summer 

Although there is still another week to go before the schools break up and les grandes vacances begin in France, the country has begun to take on a distinctly ‘holiday’ vibe as people look forward to their summer break.

Summer holidays are a big deal in France, and many people take at least a month off, while the kids get seven weeks off school and cities empty out as people decamp to the beaches and the countryside.

READ ALSO Rosé, spritz and pressé – what to drink in France this summer

But the summer has got off to a very bad start for one of France’s most spectacular tourist attractions, the Gorges du Verdon in south east France.

Usually a popular venue for water sports like rafting, authorities have been forced to issue a ban on water activities and close part of the park as the water runs dry. Temporary bans have been in place before in the Gorges, but never so early in the summer – another worrying sign as forecasters warn that the climate crisis means that France will face an unusually hot and dry summer with a high risk of drought and wildfires.

#RenfortFeuDeForêt 🔥🌳 aux côtés des @SDIS66 dans les Pyrénées orientales. 1 GIFF, 1 chef de colonne et 1 échelon de soutien sanitaire sur la commune d'Opoul, pour attaquer le flanc droit de l'incendie. Le BMPM a pris le commandement d'une colonne feu de forêt. pic.twitter.com/Nv9Wp0wVm8

— Marins-Pompiers de Marseille (@MarinsPompiers) June 30, 2022

Wildfires already broke out earlier this week, while fires in the south of the country are not unusual during the summer months, this was another exceptionally early event. 

We discuss all aspects of the summer ahead in our latest episode of the Talking France podcast.

Women’s rights

You might have suddenly started seeing this lady’s face everywhere in France over the past week. 

pic.twitter.com/q4JuGtn6fs

— Isabelle Rome (@RomeIsabelle) June 24, 2022

If you don’t recognise her, this is Simone Veil, the politician behind the ‘Loi Veil’ which made abortion legal in France in 1975.

Her picture has been widely circulated as people shared their shock and anger at the decision of the US Supreme Court. In addition to many politicians, including president Emmanuel Macron, condemning the US decision to bar access to abortion for many millions of women, there are also proposals to enshrine the right to abortion in France’s constitution.

Changing the constitution is a complicated process, but it’s not impossible – 24 changes have been made since France introduced its current constitution in 1958 and France has had a total of 15 constitutions since the French Revolution, reflecting the many, many changes seen in society since the days when wearing a wig made of horse-hair was the height of fashion.

But while the right to abortion may become a constitutional right, abortion laws in France are more restrictive than several other European countries, with time limits meaning many French women need to travel to other EU countries to terminate a pregnancy.

In other feminism news, France this week elected the first female president of the Assemblée nationale, a mere 78 years since women were first given the vote. 

Sports fun

And I had a great night at the Stade de France last weekend, watching the final of France’s Top 14 rugby tournament. The 2020 final was cancelled and the 2021 played before a very limited crowd, so I and the other 79,000 spectators were thrilled to be back.

Much deserved criticism of organisation and policing at Stade de France recently, but credit where it's due – last night's #Top14Finale was impeccably organised and a great atmosphere pic.twitter.com/GD9wVngowW

— Emma Pearson (@LocalFR_Emma) June 25, 2022

Also at the match was Emmanuel Macron, who spent such a long time on his pre-game, on-pitch chat to the players that kick-off was delayed by almost 15 minutes – there’s a time and a place for lengthy gossip sessions, Manu.

The Top 14 trophy is the enormous Bouclier de Brennus, surely one of the biggest sports shields in the world, and there’s a grand tradition of the winning team taking it on tour with them, surfing on it etc. Below is Guilhem Guirado, the captain of winning team Montpellier, having a little sleep next to the trophy after what was clearly a big weekend.

Momentanément indisponible pour plusieurs jours. À la semaine prochaine. Je vous aime @MHR_officiel 💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/gdpyVkH12i

— Guilhem Guirado (@guilhem_guirado) June 26, 2022

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.