For weeks, the French have been wondering: will the Christmas and New Year celebrations be canceled? In his last official speech, Emmanuel Macron assured that the celebrations would be maintained. He then declared that December 15, 2020 would mark deconfinement. On the evenings of December 24 and 31, the curfew was to be suspended, along with the obligation to travel with a certificate. But in a desire to remain cautious, the President of the Republic reserved the possibility of changing his mind if the target of 5,000 daily contaminations was not reached. And unfortunately, this is the case today. So inevitably, the speech of Jean Castex was particularly expected. Thursday, December 10, as planned, the Prime Minister took the floor to give the modalities of this second deconfinement. End of year celebrations, curfew hours, situation of cultural establishments … Current wife updates you on new announcements.
A curfew earlier than expected
The deconfinement will take place on the scheduled date. The head of state had announced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. throughout France. But in view of the new epidemic figures, Jean Castex and his government have decided to bring the schedule forward. The curfew will therefore start one hour earlier, at 8 p.m. on December 15.. Police checks will also be greatly strengthened during the holiday season. “There will be no indulgence. We will be uncompromising on unauthorized gatherings and wild parties ”, hammered the Prime Minister.
Christmas maintained no matter what
“Christmas occupies a special place in our lives”, Jean Castex is the first to recognize it. The government has therefore insisted on maintaining its initial position on this highly sensitive issue. As promised by Emmanuel Macron on November 24, the French will indeed be able to get together as a family for Christmas! All travel, including across regions, will be permitted. Exceptionally, on New Year's Eve as well as on December 25, traffic will be free: no curfew, and no certificate. The Prime Minister – who absolutely wants to avoid "The effect Thanksgiving” currently living in North America – recommended, however, no more than six adults at the table.
New Year's Eve under curfew
If he admitted that the situation had "significantly improved ”, Jean Castex nonetheless recalled, in a solemn tone, that "the game is far from over ”. So to take no risk, the government has chosen to sacrifice New Year's Eve. Contrary to the first measures announced at the end of November, the curfew will be in effect on the evening of December 31. The French will therefore no longer have to travel from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. A disappointment for Olivier Véran, who would also have liked “party ”…
Culture remains at a standstill
This is yet another blow to the cultural sector, which is already in dire straits. “Establishments open to the public, which we had planned to reopen on December 15, will remain closed for three more weeks ”, said Jean Castex. So, theaters, cinemas and performance halls will have to wait until January 7, 2021 to have their situation (potentially) reassessed. "The logic to follow is to avoid increasing the flows, the concentrations, the mixing of audiences at a time when we must continue to reduce them as much as possible", justifies the head of government. Ads that may not appeal to artists, many of whom have already raged in recent months. We remember in particular the (very funny) sketch of Camille Lellouche against Emmanuel Macron.
Read also : Jean Castex: why he avoids television shows as much as possible