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POLITICS

France’s local lockdowns – what is being planned if Covid-19 cases spike?

The French government has ruled out a return to the strict nationwide lockdown that brought the country to a virtual standstill in March and April, but as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, what is being planned for hotspot areas?

Published: 1 August 2020 12:00 CEST
France's local lockdowns - what is being planned if Covid-19 cases spike?
Could parts of France be going back into lockdown? Photo: AFP

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic France brought in one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe with everyone ordered to stay home unless absolutely necessary and a form required every time you stepped out of your home.

While this undoubtedly brought case numbers under control, it also had a massive effect on the national economy.

The economic effects, combined with the much improved testing and tracing programme, means that ministers say France will not go back to a nationwide lockdown.

But as cases continue to rise at quite worrying rates, what is being proposed is the introduction of local lockdowns for 'hotspot' areas.

So what would this involve exactly?

France's prime minister Jean Castex was known as Monsieur Déconfinement for his work on the lifting of France's lockdown. Photo: AFP

The person spearheading the local lockdown plan is Jean Castex, France's newly appointed prime minister who in his previous role was responsible for drawing up the detailed plan to gradually ease France out of lockdown.

Here's what he has to say.

“What must be avoided above all else is general réconfinement [return to full lockown]
 
“We now know what it produces: such a measure breaks the progression of the epidemic, certainly, but at an economic and social level it is catastrophic, including for the psychological health of some of our fellow citizens,” he told the Nice-Matin newspaper.
 
“If there is to be lockdown, it could be very localised lockdowns. We will adapt.”
 
He, along with health minister Olivier Véran, also stressed that the way to avoid such a course was for everyone to continue practicing social distancing and hygiene measures.
 
But at the moment, the situation is causing some concern with sharply rising case numbers in certain areas including Brittany, south west France and the Paris region.
 
 
Both local and national authorities are calling on people to remember the health measures and not get complacent, but if cases continue to rise we could be looking at some more drastic measures.
 
Closures
 
Some closures have already happened on a local level, with authorities in the Brittany département of Morbihan closing beaches and parks at night after a spike in cases in one commune.
 
A bar in the town of Quiberon has been closed down after it was found to be at the centre of a cluster of cases and the Préfet for the area says he is considering more night-time closures of bars.
 
The government could also decide to impose lockdown on a certain area if there is a high number of cases.
 
The talk of 'very localised' lockdowns suggests this would be done on a town or département basis, rather than putting entire regions under lockdown.
 
If this is imposed, it is likely that bars and restaurants would again be ordered to close.
 
In Paris, Anne Souyis, the city representative responsible for health, says she thinks taking contact details for all bar and restaurant customers for tracing in the event of an outbreak – as happens in parts of Germany and Switzerland – would be a good idea.
 
 
Extra restrictions
 
Again this is already happening in some areas as local authorities decide to impose their own rules in addition to the government's measures. Some towns have made it compulsory to wear a mask on the street, which goes further than the government rule on wearing masks indoors.
 
At the beginning of the epidemic we also saw local authorities take their own measures such as closing schools and markets before the nationwide restrictions came in.
 
Any local lockdown would be likely to include closing markets, banning large gatherings and shutting public spaces. French schools are currently on their long summer holiday so a decision will not need to be taken about that until late August ahead of la rentrée on September 1st.
 
Travel bans
 
Many people who have holidays booked are now rather nervously eyeing the international travel rules after the UK abruptly imposed a quarantine on all arrivals from Spain. So far France has given no indication that it will do this and the border with Spain remains open, although French people are advised not to travel to Catalonia, the worst affected region of Spain.
 
Passengers arriving in France from 16 countries considered high risk now face compulsory Covid tests on arrival.
 
 
During the lockdown people who were permanent residents of France were allowed to come back if they were away so you won't be stranded, but any new rules could scupper holidays or long-awaited trips to see relatives in another country.
 
There's also the issue of travel restrictions inside France, such as a possible resumption of the 100km limit for non-essential trips away from home, although again this is likely to be limited to areas where outbreaks are bad.
 
Stay-home orders
 
This is probably the measure that people fear most – will they be confined to their homes again? In the Spanish region of Catalonia, which has seen a spike in cases, residents of Barcelona have been urged by city authorities to stay home, but for the moment it is only advice and there is no return to the fines and policing of the full lockdown.
 
The French government could well do likewise in badly affected areas and many people who have recently returned to work could find themselves on télétravail (remote working) again.
 
A return to the system of attestations for every trip outside the home and fines for non-compliance would likely be a last resort if other measures had failed to stem a rise in cases.
 
Case numbers
 
The French government has so far not released any information on the kind of case numbers that would lead to local lockdows, and it is likely that any decision would be in response to a range of factors including pressure on local hospitals.
 
 
Santé Publique France uses the guideline figure of 10 cases per 100,000 of the population to alert to areas that it is concerned about.
 
There are currently nine départements that are considered 'of concern' under this formula, although the designation does not trigger any specific measures. Cases also remain high in Paris and the surrounding areas, so this could trigger extra measures in the capital.
 
When will we know more?
 
Castex says he is working on a detailed plan for localised lockdown, including the threshold they will be triggered at. He told French media last week that is would be “ready soon”.

Member comments

  1. So Macron yet again has appointed another blinkered yes man with no experience to follow the Party line. This man was the cause of all these outbreaks in areas that didn’t have them before by opening the country up too early. This isn’t “rocket science” but common sense.

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POLITICS

What does the new government mean for foreigners in France?

France at last has a new government and one of its four main aims is to "control immigration and promote integration" - so what is this likely to mean for foreigners in France, or those hoping to move here some day?

Published: 20 September 2024 10:36 CEST
What does the new government mean for foreigners in France?

After two weeks of intense negotiation, on Thursday evening newly-appointed prime minister Michel Barnier announced that he had succeeded in forming a government.

 He also laid out his four main priorities;

  • Improve the standard of living for the French and the workings of public services, especially schools and healthcare
  • Guarantee security, control immigration and improve integration
  • Encourage businesses and agriculture and build upon the economic attractiveness of France
  • Get public finances under control and reduce debt

He is set to give his Discours de politique générale on October 1st – this is the traditional speech that a prime minister makes laying out the main policy aims of their government.

So what is this likely to mean for foreigners living in France?

Obviously some of these things will have the same effect on foreigners as any other residents of France, since we all use the same healthcare and education systems.

The first challenge for the new government will be a budget that, as Barnier says, “gets public finances under control”. France is facing a ballooning deficit and the threat of a downgrade from ratings agencies if it cannot get spending under control.

Barnier said earlier in the week that he is “discovering that the country’s budgetary situation is very serious” – most people interpreted this as preparing to announce tax hikes.

No details of these plans have been released, but it is thought likely that extra taxes will be on business and the super-rich rather than any increase in income tax or VAT.

Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance group briefed the press that one of their conditions for joining the new government was a pledge that any tax increases would not target “the middle classes or working French people”.

Immigration

But the strand of government that is most likely to affect foreigners in France, or those hoping to move here some day, is the pledge to “control immigration and promote integration”.

Again there is no detail on this, but the French government’s most recent bill to “promote integration” introduced language tests for certain types of residency card, while raising the language standard required for other processes.

We know that Barnier himself is strongly to the right on the topic of immigration – in his unsuccessful 2022 bid for the Les Républicains presidential nomination he called for a total moratorium on all immigration into France from non-EU countries.

Barnier said he would organise a referendum if elected, asking voters to approve constitutional changes and the ability of parliament to set immigrant quotas each year.

The exact composition of the new government has not been revealed – it is expected “before Sunday” – but we do know that Barnier has appointed several ministers from within the Les Républicains party.

These are reported to include Bruno Retailleau, who sparked outcry with his comments about immigrants in the context of the 2022 riots.

Speaking about the rioters who were arrested, 90 percent of whom were French citizens, he said: “OK, they’re French, but these are French people in their official identity, and unfortunately for the second and third generations (of immigrants), there is a sort of regression towards their ethnic roots.”

Clearly for some politicians, you can never be integrated enough.

New laws?

Although it’s far too early to think of any specific policies – and the government may not last long enough to actually see any laws passed – the debate around France’s recent immigration bill does provide some clues about the goals of right-wing politicians.

The Immigration law that finally passed in January changed – among other things – conditions for certain types of residency card and introduced expanded language tests, a civics test and a declaration of allegiance to ‘French values’ for foreigners living here.

READ ALSO What changes under France’s new immigration bill

However as the bill progressed through parliament, many right-wing lawmakers attempted to add amendments to toughen it up. In the end, most of the amendments were either voted down in parliament or struck out later by the Constitutional Council, but they do provide a guide to right-wing goals.

Among the rejected amendments were;

Migration quotas – the original bill contained nothing about migration quotas, but a section on this was added in the Senate (which is controlled by Les Républicains). The amendment was vague, setting out only the principle that parliament can set migration quotas – the wording of the text talked about ‘economic migration’, suggesting that these quotas would apply only to people coming to France to work, not students or retirees. The quotas would not affect asylum seekers or people arriving on a family reunification visa.

It called for parliament to have an annual debate on migration, with the ‘objective’ of setting quotas or numbers.

This was one of many amendments that was eventually struck out by the Constitutional Council – although on procedural grounds, not because of its content.

Healthcare restrictions – currently undocumented foreigners who are in France for more than three months are entitled to basic healthcare under the Aide medicale de l’Etat, with costs reimbursed by the State for hospital treatment and medication. The amendment proposed a complete ban on this for anyone who is undocumented or in an irregular immigration situation.

Benefit restrictions – currently foreigners in France can qualify for benefits such as housing allowance or certain family benefits after they have been resident for six months, the amendment aimed to increase the qualification period to five years.

Expelling radicalised foreigners – the law that was eventually passed makes it easier to expel radicalised foreigners by removing certain protections, including the restriction that people who came to France aged 13 or under cannot be expelled once they reach adulthood. The amendment aimed toughen this up still further by allowing the expulsion not just of people who are on terror watchlists, but of people who have “committed a grave and deliberate violation of the principles of the French Republic”.

Toughen asylum rules – various amendments aimed to make it easier to expel failed asylum seekers by reducing the amount of time for appeals and allowing a notice to quit the country to be served as soon as a first application is rejected.

Limit family reunification rights – rules around foreigners in France being joined by spouses or family members would also be tightened up under the amendment, with a minimum stay of 24 months before you can be joined by a spouse or family member, and extra financial requirements.

French citizenship for children born in France – currently children who are born in France to foreign parents are automatically given the right to French citizenship once they reach 18 under the droit du sol principle (although in order to do anything practical like get a passport or ID card they still need to apply for a naturalisation certificate). Several amendments proposed that this no longer be an automatic right and children must “express their will” to get citizenship – presumably through an extra admin procedures.

All the immigration measures listed above would apply to non-EU nationals – anyone who needs a visa or carte de séjour to spend more than three months in France.

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