Interdit (Prohibited) – France in Coronavirus lockdown

From midday on Tuesday March 17, 2020, the French must stay at home or face sanctions, announced President Emmanuel Macron last night at 8pm to combat the coronavirus pandemic. It is a form of mandatory containment for all French people.

I am currently in Paris. Only authorized trips, such as to go shopping, go to the doctor or pharmacy, go to work (if authorized), do light exercise – all of these trips are to be conducted alone, without joining family or friends, said the statement. Parks and gardens, cafes, restaurants, and shops are closed. Outings to the park and groupings of people in the street are no longer possible, and all people should limit contact with other people, keeping at least a metre apart, Macron said.

Borders to EU countries will be closed for 30 days.

Macron said, ‘France is in a health war against an invisible and elusive enemy.’ In France, there are 6,633 confirmed cases and 148 people have died of coronavirus. The number currently doubles every three days. As a result, France’s Minister of Health said these unprecedented measures must take place. He added that people should not 'get in touch with more than five people a day.'

The French must ‘remain at home at their maximum for the next 15 days, starting Tuesday, March 17 at noon, unless other information becomes available. ‘Each person, for each trip, will have to carry a document attesting to the reason for their movement. The strict application of ‘barrier gestures’ must also continue and any infringement will be punished,’ President Macron said. Fines can range from 38 to 135 euros.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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