14-day lockdown for people arriving in France proposed
The government has today formally proposed the extension of the state of health emergency in France for two extra months until July 24 and a series of other measures.
The Council of Ministers presented several proposals, including the obligatory confinement for 14 days for anyone arriving in France (from all destinations where the virus is circulating and of all nationalities including French).
[Update Monday May 4: It has now been confirmed that this will not apply to arrivals from EU countries or from the UK.]
These measures are in a new draft health law aimed at preparing the country for deconfinement from May 11 and will be discussed from Monday in the Senate before being sent to the National Assembly for final adoption within the week.
Health Minister Olivier Véran said that lifting the state of health emergency on the current date of May 23 would be premature due to the risks of an epidemic resuming once the current confinement measures stop.
Other key proposals in the draft law are:
Mandatory 14 day confinement for everyone arriving in France plus enforced isolation for those among this group who show symptoms of Covid-19.
For those already in France who test positive, the decision to self-isolate or go to a set isolation place, such as a state requisitioned hotel, will be left to individual responsibility and choice, said Mr Véran.
The draft law provides that measures for the obligatory isolation of people arriving in France will be taken by a state representative after medical confirmation of the infection of the person concerned. Obligatory isolation will apply "only to persons entering the national territory or arriving in an overseas territory or Corsica."
Persons subject to these measures will be able to appeal the decision before a judge with a ruling made within 72 hours. "These obligatory isolation measures may not continue for more than 14 days, unless the person concerned consents or with the agreement of a judge", the text adds, specifying that "the total duration of these measures may not exceed one month".
No Stop-Covid application on 11 May, but "contact tracing".
The controversial opt-in Stop-Covid bluetooth phone application to alert people if they have been in prolonged contact with an infected person will not be available on May 11. "If this type of application were to be operational in the next few weeks, there would be a debate in the National Assembly," it was announced. "Data collected by the [so-called] health contact brigades, to trace and alert contacts of infected people, will be independent of the Stop-Covid application," Mr Véran said.
