After a third hybrid lockdown, the French are waiting for living places and cultural places to reopen – some being closed since late October and even from the beginning of the health crisis. So, as France seems to be overcoming the third wave, fighting a two-front battle between the threat of variants and the acceleration of the vaccination campaign, the country is preparing to exit lockdown.
And speaking of exiting lockdown, this Tuesday April 27, the French President met with mayors to speak about the calendar. Between this weekend and the middle of next week – according to Francetvinfo – mayors are said to be given “the matrix” of the next lockdown exit steps. Note a second step of this plan is to be launched this summer. As for this matrix, talks will be held after, and locally, to come up to a detailed plan that could be presented by May 12.
While waiting for this detailed plan, the French President is expected on Friday April 30, 2021. He is expected to speak about the lockdown exit. People are waiting to find out more about the reopening calendar, the easing fo restrictions that should take place on a territory base, depending on the level the virus circulates on. And according to AFP, the Head of State is not to deliver a televised speech, as he usually does. Emmanuel Macron will reveal the lockdown exit strategy in an interview issued this Friday morning in the regional daily press. According to BFMTV, the President has been interviewed this Wednesday at the end of the day.
So far, terraces and some cultural places could reopen by mid-May. According to Gabriel Attal, the moment depends on two key elements: “first, we need the government’s work on these very steps to have improved. I can tell it’s coming along, there are regular meetings to prepare these deadlines (…) the second thing is we need announcements to be made early enough for people working in these places closed can of course prepare to reopen, because it requires quite organization and preparation”.
