France, where the number of new daily cases now numbers in the tens of thousands daily, announced on Monday, December 6 new restrictions: strengthening of the health protocol at school, closure of nightclubs for four weeks, facilitation of the vaccination of more 65 years old …
“Partial activity 100% covered” in events and nightclubs
The day after the sanitary screwdriver announced by Matignon to curb the fifth wave of Covid-19, the Minister of Labor, Elisabeth Borne, announced Tuesday, December 7, on LCI, that the partial activity will be reinstated in the event sector – including caterers – and for discotheques, closed from Friday for four weeks.
“I really want to reassure them: we are going to put in place a partial activity, 100% support, so no out-of-pocket costs for the employer, to continue protecting jobs. “
Referring first to a threshold of 80% decrease in turnover necessary for this support, Mr.me Borne finally explained that it would be clarified with the professionals. “We will look with the sectors to see what the right number is (…). We want to support these sectors so that they are not in difficulty ”, said the minister.
While strolling on Tuesday in the center of Vierzon (Cher), Emmanuel Macron was arrested by a nightclub owner and pledged that they can reopen quickly. “You must not believe that you are being stigmatized”, replied Emmanuel Macron. Unlike restaurants and bars, where “We are seated”, “Most of the time we are not around a table” in nightclubs, he explained to the boss who complained of a difference in treatment between these establishments. The president assured that the discos would be “Compensated in an exemplary manner to keep up during this period”.
Alain Griset, the minister responsible for small and medium-sized enterprises, was to consult, Tuesday from 1 p.m., event professionals and nightclubs. If details will be requested as to its outlines, the partial activity is not the only measure expected by Frédéric Pitrou, of the French Union of Event Trades. The delegate general calls for new exemptions from charges and the postponement of the repayment of loans guaranteed by the State.
The Minister of Labor also announced that checks would be carried out ” next week “ in companies to check whether the extension of teleworking “Two to three days” per week to limit the spread of Covid-19 is “Well implemented”. “I asked the labor inspectorate to go back to 5,000 checks per month. We were less than a thousand in October ”, specified the minister.
No “explosion” of cases at school but an increase in tests
Faced with the acceleration of the spread of the virus among those under 12, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, announced Monday evening that the health protocol would be raised to level 3 for primary schools and that, from Thursday, the wearing a mask will be required in the playgrounds. Team sports will be restricted from Monday. Brewing should also be limited to the canteen.
“We can’t say that there is an explosion [de l’épidémie chez les enfants], the word is too strong, there is an incidence rate which is increasing, tried to relativize Jean-Michel Blanquer on RTL. What exploded is the number of tests done for children (…). Before the All Saints holiday, there were three times fewer tests in children than in adults. “
Asked about the possibility of extending the holidays, in the event of an outbreak of cases, Mr. Blanquer said he did not rule out any hypothesis. “We always have all the assumptions on the table. We have been pragmatic from the start. We can always imagine this hypothesis, but it is not the preferred hypothesis ”, added the minister.
In a press release, the SE-UNSA judges the measures announced Monday evening “Insufficient to allow the school to take into account the magnitude of the fifth wave” of Covid-19.
Americans urged to avoid travel to France
The American authorities asked their nationals on Monday to avoid traveling to a dozen countries including France and Portugal, yet among the best vaccinated in Europe, in the midst of the epidemic outbreak on the Old Continent.
“Avoid traveling to France”, recommended the State Department to American nationals in its new report falling to level 4 its level of alert for this country, the highest level of warning, as the end of year holidays approached by the new variant, Omicron. “Due to the current situation [relative au Covid-19] in France, even fully vaccinated travelers can run the risk of catching and spreading the variants ”, explained the main US health agency, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
The list of countries affected by this CDC alert includes, in addition to France and Portugal, Cyprus, Andorra and Liechtenstein in Europe, as well as Jordan and Tanzania. The State Department adds Mali and the Fiji Islands, which notably reported on Monday their first case of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.