DAILY STATISTICS HERE

▫️ ALLOCUTION FROM M. E MACRON ON JULY 12th

✏️ M. E MACRON

There were 2 main parts, a health section and a financial section. Here is a summary of the first part.

THE HEALTH SECTION

The President of the Republic gave a solemn address from the “Grand Palais Éphémère” on Monday evening to unveil new measures to combat the fourth wave.

• A “strong resumption” of the epidemic accentuated by the Delta variant

“A strong resumption of the epidemic which affects the whole territory”. Faced with the spread of the Delta variant, Emmanuel Macron warned of the “difficulties” that threaten. “As long as the virus circulates, we will be faced with this type of situation,” he said, calling for massive recourse to vaccination.

• The “health pass” extended in August to bars, restaurants, trains, planes, hospitals and retirement homes

The health pass will be compulsory for over 12s in “leisure and cultural venues” with more than 50 people from 21 July. It will then be extended from the beginning of August, and will cover trains, planes, bars and restaurants, as well as hospitals, retirement homes and medical and social establishments. This list could be extended later, said Emmanuel Macron. In concrete terms, access to these places will be reserved for people who have been vaccinated for more than a fortnight, or for those who have carried out a recent negative PCR or antigenic test.

• Compulsory vaccination of health care workers and non-health care workers in health care institutions, checks from 15 September

A bill to make vaccination of health care workers compulsory will be sent to the Council of State on Tuesday, before being presented to the Council of Ministers on Monday 19 July. It will then be examined next week by parliament under an accelerated procedure. This measure will apply “without delay”, and those concerned will have “until 15 September” to comply with it. After that, “controls will be carried out and sanctions will be imposed”.

-“Putting restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on everyone

The daily lives of the “vaccinated” and the “non-vaccinated” will no longer be the same. The philosophy is simple: “Recognise civic-mindedness and put restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on everyone”.

 – So-called “comfort” PCR tests no longer free of charge this autumn

From October, the French will no longer be able to benefit from free PCR tests without a prescription, known as “comfort tests”. This is intended to “encourage vaccination rather than the multiplication of tests”.

• Local restrictions may be decided by prefects in case of incidence rates above 200

Territorial restrictions could be decided according to local situations. In departments “which exceed an incidence rate of 200 and see an increase in hospitalisation”, “braking measures may be taken by our prefects”.

 – The epidemic will be with us “for several more months of the year 2022”.

The strategy of “living with the virus” continues. According to Emmanuel Macron, the epidemic will be present “throughout this year 2021 and probably for several more months in 2022”. “The coming weeks” will be “those of mobilisation to block the virus”, he warned.

• Vaccination campaigns for secondary school pupils and students at the beginning of the school year

From the start of the next school year, “specific” vaccination campaigns will be deployed for all secondary school pupils and students in the country. The latter were the ones most affected by the previous phases.

• A booster campaign “after” the holidays for the categories vaccinated at the beginning of 2021

The first categories of the population to have benefited from the vaccine, at the beginning of 2021, will be eligible “from the beginning of the school year” for a booster campaign. This will enable them to receive a new injection “according to the same system and under the same conditions as the first one or ones”.

• Stronger border controls, forced isolation of unvaccinated travellers

People coming from “at risk” countries will be subject to reinforced controls, said Emmanuel Macron. Compulsory isolation will also be imposed on all unvaccinated travellers from 21 July.

 – State of health emergency declared again in Reunion and Martinique

The state of health emergency will be declared on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers for Martinique and Reunion. A curfew will be introduced in these two overseas territories.