France may extend state of health emergency to October

MPs will debate a possible further extension on June 17.

Maintaining a state of emergency means that prefects will continue to have the authority to make decisions designed to protect people’s health, including closing local beaches and banning large gatherings such as festivals and concerts.

A state of emergency also means that the government can introduce legislation “par ordonnance” if the health situation demands, which means it can push laws through quickly, without requiring them to go through the usual parliamentary channels or votes.

This could include measures such as requisitioning medical staff, equipment, or even vehicles, to help fight the virus.

One MP said: “Whether to allow the Tour de France to go ahead is a question for the state of emergency. As are such varied questions as managing borders, controlling the price of certain products, whether to reopen cinemas or commercial centres...all of which we will still need to be asking after July 11.”

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Scientific advice

The Prime Minister’s office will base its position on advice from government scientific council le Conseil Scientifique, it said.

A staff member in the Prime Minister’s entourage told news service FranceInfo: "The question of an extension of the state of emergency will be decided in the light of health developments. We're not deciding anything today."

But another MP said that the extension appears “inevitable”, saying: “We must keep this toolbox of a state of emergency until after mid-July.”

The government has not yet set a deadline for ending the state of emergency. It has suggested that this could be extended until October, but the suspension of the Senate later in the autumn may mean it will be extended to November.

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