Are French complying with the new lockdown? To this question, France’s Health Minister answers: “data attests compliance” with the measure, Olivier Véran states, invited on November 3 on RTL. After less than a week into the new lockdown, the government is saying the first results as for the new restrictions implemented are encouraging.
But then, on what ground does the Health Minister rely to confirm the good results? First it is in public transit the executive notices French people are complying with the new lockdown measures. “For instance, yesterday [Monday], the RATP data showed we were 50% off travelers in Paris metro trains in the morning. And it even went down to 20.25% of the normal number of commuters” the Minister says, pleased.
As for remote working, same positive result according to Olivier Véran. “Remote working data shows companies play the games, and so do employees”, he says happy. But most of French do not agree, and sometimes doubt about the real compliance with the new lockdown measures, when they notice crowds in the streets or at schools, for instance.
When some people issue critics as for the variable aspect of the government’s guidelines, the minister rather explains the long-term goal for the executive. “The idea is not to confine, de-confine, re-confine… The idea is to live as normally as possible with the lowest level possible of the circulation of the virus” he says before justifying the latest actions saying “sometimes, the epidemic surges again” and “when the epidemic resurges, we have to implement firebreak measures”. This morning, the government’s spokesperson also spoke about curfew, or rather “curfew”… which has certainly created discord in the majority.
