Deconfinement or “gradual confinement lifting”? Invited on the Questions politiques show on France Inter, Franceinfo and Le Monde on Sunday May 10th to speak about exiting the coronavirus crisis, Secretary of the Interior Christophe Castaner gave meaningful semantic specifications as for May 11th and the possibility for French to go out again.
When asked if we should speak about deconfinement or not, the Minister says it is more about “gradual confinement lifting” and a “new step in the fight against the epidemic” that will “last for several weeks”. All in all, the government moves forward step by step instead of reopening everything at the same time, to avoid a second wave. A “gradual confinement lifting” for which Christophe Castaner reminds the modalities: “the success of deconfinement relies not on masks and on tests. It relies on the respect of barrier gestures” he says, adding about facemasks that they are “tools to protect French”.
Then the Minister returned on the trips of people at risk, and especially seniors: “protect your grand-parents” he says, reminding that “grand-parents can be people who, because of their age and risks there are other comorbidity causes, the most likely to catch the virus”. Christophe Castaner explains that so far, seniors should remain home for at least two months: “I speak like a father, I think that perhaps we better wait for a month or two before proposing to our grand-parents who are away to come see us in Paris and see the latest born and be exposed in a department that is still red and at risk”.
Another topic addressed, the repatriation of French living abroad: “We will never say no to a French wishing to come back to France” he explains. He adds: “We can decided to impose or not, depending on the country where they come from, an isolation or quarantine measure” while delivering a precise mind on the inflow of tourists on the territory: “I do not encourage the mobility of tourists within Europe and the world” he said.
