PARIS (Reuters) – Nearly a third of French people entered a month-long confinement on Saturday, with many expressing fatigue and confusion over the latest set of restrictions designed to contain the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.
The government announced the new measures on Thursday after a jump in the COVID-19 cases in Paris and parts of northern France.
The new restrictions are less severe than those in effect during the spring and November 2020 blockades, raising concerns that they may not be effective.
“I hope it will end quickly, although I have doubts about the efficiency of the measures,” said Kasia Gluc, 57, graphic editor on Champs Elysees avenue in Paris.
There was frustration among so-called non-essential store owners forced to close their doors.
Stores that can stay open include those selling food, books, flowers and chocolates, as well as hairdressers and shoemakers, but not clothing, furniture and beauty salons, according to a list released on Friday night.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who said a total of 90,000 stores would need to be closed, defended the list of stores that may remain open, especially those that sell chocolates and flowers just two weeks before Easter.
“I am not saying in any way that it is ideal, but each time it is done with a simple logic: to guarantee the health of the French people while preserving economic activity and trade as much as possible,” he told radio France Inter.
People can leave the house as many times as they want within a radius of 30 km (19 miles), under certain conditions, as long as they fill out a declaration, the Interior Ministry said. Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday had referred to only a 10 km radius.
“We need a permit, but compared to the previous blocks, we are still much more free to leave. So, are we locked? Yes and no, ”said Antonin Le Marechal, 21.
The government, which has avoided using the word lockdown to describe the most recent restrictions, argues that the measures are necessary to ease the pressure on intensive care units that are almost overflowing.
A large number of Parisians left the city before the restrictions took effect at midnight.
Reporting by Ardee Napolitano and Noemie Olivie, written by Sybille de La Hamaide, edited by Christina Fincher