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Covid-19 in France: Declaration form FAQ
Anyone wishing to leave their house in France must now fill in a declaration form to explain why they are outside. This is each time you go out and per person. We answer your questions and translate the details.
Where can I get the form?
The form is available to download as a PDF file from the government website here.
It can be filled in online, and printed; or printed and filled in by hand.
Mandatory confinement, requiring use of the form, will come into force across the country today (Tuesday March 17) from midday.
How will it be checked?
There will be fixed checkpoints and moving checkpoints on major roads, secondary roads and pedestrian routes across the entire country; manned by 100,000 police and gendarmes.
Anyone found without a proper declaration risks an immediate fine of €38, rising to €135 quickly.
Workers may also present - in addition to the form - workplace ID, or a letter from their employer to prove their need to attend work.
What if I can’t print the form?
You can write the same information by hand on a “blank sheet of paper”, interior minister Christophe Castaner said. All the same details must be included, in French.
You can also fill it in on-screen (it is fillable on computers or laptops, but not most phones), and take a good quality photo of it, instead of printing it.
(See below for the full translation of the form, including the exceptions for when you are allowed to leave your house.)
What about my workplace / employer / work that cannot be done at home?
The government has now published a second form ("Justificatif de Déplacement Professionnel" or "Professional Travel Proof") on the same website.
This is to be filled in and signed by employers, vouching for the employee, whose work cannot be done at home. (See below for the full translation.)
'Responsibility of everyone'
Interior minister Christophe Castaner said: “The order is clear: ‘Stay at home’...Our objective is not to punish, but to call the responsibility of everyone...to show collective citizenship to overcome the crisis.”
He warned: “We do not want to punish, but if we need to, we will.”
The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to spread in France.
The latest figures, released March 16, show that 148 people have now died from the virus and 6,600 have been infected since January 24.
The full translation of the forms are as follows:
Main form:
TRAVEL WAIVER CERTIFICATE
In application of article 1 of the decree issued on 16 March 2020 concerning movements in the context of the fight against the spread of the virus Covid 19:
I the undersigned:
Mrs/Mr:
Born on:
Living at:
Certify my movement is related to the following reason (tick the box) authorised by Article 1 of the Decree of 16 March 2020, regulating movements in the context of the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 virus:
- Travel between home and the place of professional activity, when essential for the exercise of activities that cannot be organised in the form of teleworking (on permanent proof) or professional trips that cannot be postponed;
- Travel to make essential purchases in authorised establishments (list on gouvernement.fr);
- Travel for health reasons;
- Travel for imperative family reasons, for assistance to vulnerable persons or childcare;
- Short trips, close to home, related to the individual physical activity of people, excluding any collective sports practice, and to the needs of pets.
Completed at _____________, on (Date): ____/____/2020
(Signature):
Workplace / worker form:
PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL PROOF
I, the undersigned: _________ (job title)_____________
Certify that the journeys of the following person between his or her home and his or her place of residence of professional activity, may not be deferred or are essential for the exercise of professional activities, which cannot be organised as working from home (within the meaning of the first of the second subparagraph), and Article 1 of the decree of 16 March 2020 on travel regulations as part of the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 virus) :
Surname:
First name:
Date of birth:
Home address:
Nature of the professional work:
Location of the professional work taking place:
Travel route:
Form of travel:
Name and stamp of the employer:
Completed at _____________, on (Date): ____/____/2020
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The French government has issued health advice to help stop the virus from spreading.
This advice includes:
- Stay at home, except in exceptional circumstances.
- Keep a 1 metre distance between yourself and others when you are out.
- Wash your hands with soap or hydro-alcoholic sanitiser gel frequently.
- Cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than your hands.
- Use single use tissues and dispose immediately after use.
- Do not shake hands, or greet people with kisses on the cheek.
- If you are sick, everyone in the household must stay at home, and avoid any trips outdoors, and wear a mask in the company of others.
If you believe you are sick, do not go to the hospital or visit your local doctor as you may infect others. Instead call your local doctor and take paracetamol for the fever. Do not take anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or cortisone to treat the possible symptoms of Covid-19 as these could actually worsen the infection.
If you have returned from a high risk area, including China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao); Singapore, South Korea, Iran or the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy, and present symptoms of respiratory infection such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing within 14 days of your return, call your local GP. Do not go to your local hospital or doctor, or call the Samu 15 number except in a genuine, life-threatening emergency.
A free hotline service can answer your questions about the coronavirus Covid-19 non-stop, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 0800 130 000. It cannot give medical advice.
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