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French lockdown: Key future dates in ending the lockdown across France

By David Roe - RFI
France French lockdown: Key future dates in ending the lockdown across France
APR 29, 2020 LISTEN

French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe revealed his government's much-awaited plan to ease the strict nationwide coronavirus lockdown on May 11 to the National Assembly on Tuesday, including how many tests for the virus they hope will be carried out per week.

MPs passed Philippe's plan on Tuesday by 368 votes, compared to 100 against. Over the course of the debate and Edouard Philipp's discourse,  French people were given more details on how the lockdown will be lifted. Here are some of the key dates over the coming months:

April 30: As of this date, French health officials will publish a map everyday of where the virus is circulating.  It will be divided into zones ranging from green for the least impacted to red in the most impacted. Lockdown measures will be determined by the zone people are living in.

May 7th: The government will provide a last assessment of the situation before they start lifting the lockdown. The lockdown will be lifted according to zones.

May 11th: The  lifting of lockdown will finally begin. Some elementary schools, primary schools and creches will be opened as will some businesses. Cafes and bars will remain closed.

May 18: Some second-level schools will be opened. It is also likely that the opening will depend on the colour of the zone in which the schools are located.

June  2nd: ( yet to be confirmed). Cafes and bars may start gradually opening and the rest of schools will return. However, all of this will depend on the progress of the virus.

July 23rd: Latest date for the prime minister Edouard Philippe to implement a prolongation of the health state-of-emergcy

September: Schools will return to normal. Large gatherings will still be prohibited.

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