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President Macron announces Confinement Prolonged Through May 11

In a speech to the nation tonight, President Macron said that the lockdown will continue until May 11.

He said that some schools will open then, but universities won’t. (It seems that this is likely to be an area where the regional differentiation of which French leadership has spoken will come into play — I.e. schools would be re-opened earlier in regions where the Coronavirus has had less of an impact, while harder-hit regions such as Ile de France and the Grand Est would be among the last to re-open.)

He said that all festivals are cancelled through mid-July.

He left it rather vague for the re-opening of restaurants, bars, cafes, museums, cinemas, theaters etc. They will NOT open as of May 11. But he didn’t give a target date like mid-July as he did for the festivals, either. He said they will continually evaluate when they are going to do this. So that will be late May or later depending on developments.

He said borders will remain closed to non-Europeans and non-European residents (with some exceptions for medical personnel for example) through the May 11 date.

Posted by
10561 posts

I didn’t hear anything in the talk, but from another source understood that borders remain closed to European travel until at least May 11 and there is no date at all for non-Europeans to enter France. France will continue to control intra-European borders until the end of October.
Edit: I'm making this comment so people don't think flights and borders from the US could pop open May 11th. That is the day the first steps to open a few things will be taken, if the next four weeks go well.

Posted by
10048 posts

Please note that the reference to “Macron said” in the previous post is in regards to negotiations with European partners, and not anything he said in his speech last night.

Posted by
2670 posts

I watched the entire speech last night and heard nothing said about Schengen boarders one way or another. What I did hear was that the lock-down will continue throughout France until May 11th, at which time schools and work places would begin to reopen. The government will then issue masks to everyone as restrictions are eased. There was some pushback in the morning press about a definitive May 11th relaxing of restrictions, with some observers doubting schools will reopen this academic year. My guess is that Macron intends to allow children back into schools which would allow parents to return to the workplace.

Cafés, restaurants, museums, hotels, and festivals would remain closed until at least mid July.

Announcements concerning travel and opening boarders would be made at a later time.

How this might ultimately affect travelers or visitors is open to speculation but I should be surprised if boarders were to reopen, at the earliest, before late this year.

Posted by
14607 posts

Kim, I, for one, am very grateful for your reports from Paris. You (and others) did a wonderful job of keeping us all informed during the French transit strike (among other things) and I can't believe anyone would doubt the veracity of your information/links. Please know your contributions are appreciated.

Posted by
3262 posts

Hi Kim,

I always appreciate the information that you provide!

Thank you so much!

Posted by
11749 posts

Kim--

Good to hear you are on the mend.

We appreciate your 'boots on the ground' insights.

Posted by
10561 posts

Kim glad you are both on the mend.

Kim and I had lunch in Paris with a third Forum participant, just days before her COVID19 symptoms. We were among the last customers before the shut down, but I hope not forever.

Posted by
759 posts

Hang in there Kim!!
Great job during the strikes and now! You are greatly appreciated.