New Covid rules France: Revised form, more shops to open

Update March 20 at 13:30: There will be no need for an exemption certificate (attestation de déplacement) if you want to go out for exercise within 10km of your home between 06:00 to 19:00 if you are living in one of the 16 departments where new, stricter rules apply. You will simply need to carry proof of your residence. The attestation will be necessary if you are living in a place that is not your main residence. This information will be updated shortly on government websites.

A one-month period of stricter Covid measures begins today (March 20) in 16 departments in France.

The rules apply seven days a week and will require people in these areas to fill out a new exemption form (attestation de déplacement) every time they go out. This is in addition to the national curfew rules.

The measures are not as strict as those applied during France’s first national lockdown in March 2020 or its second that began in October 2020.

This time, people will have more freedom to go outside to exercise, within 10km of their home and for an unlimited time between 06:00 to 19:00, and more shops are considered essential and therefore allowed to open.

The departments where the stricter measures apply

• The eight departments of Ile-de-France : Paris (75), Seine-et-Marne (77), Yvelines (78), Essonne (91), Hauts-de-Seine (92), Seine-Saint-Denis (93), Val-de-Marne (94), Val-d'Oise (95)
• The five departments of Hauts-de-France : Aisne (02), Nord (59), Oise (60), Pas-de-Calais (62), Somme (80)
• Eure (27)
• Seine-Maritime (76)
• Alpes-Maritimes (06)

The form you need to for going out in these departments can be found at this link here.

You can read our explanation of the form here.

Travel

In these departments, travel is only authorised within the department or within a 30km radius around your home, except for the reasons for travel indicated on the attestation. This includes, travel for professional reasons, health reasons, judicial reasons, essential family reasons, moving house etc.

The reasons are marked by an asterix on the form.

People who do not live in one of these 16 departments are prohibited from entering them unless they are within a 30km radius of their home or they have an essential reason, as indicated by the asterix on the attestation.

Shops and services

There is a long list of shops that are open and considered essential. The government, however, has not yet published the complete list.

Based on what is known so far, we have assembled this following list - it is not exhaustive. We will update this when the government publishes its final official list.

• Bookshops
• Record shops
• Hairdressers / barbers
• Convenience stores
• Supermarkets
• Hypermarkets
• Fast food restaurants
• Shopping centres of less than 10,000 m²
• Open-air markets unless closed locally by a mayor or prefect
• General food shops
• Frozen goods shops
• Greengrocers
• Butchers
• Fishmongers
• Bakers
• Confectioners
• Chocolate shops
• Wine merchants
• Other food retail stores
• Food distributions provided by charities
• Newspaper vendors
• Stationery shops
• University libraries open by appointment
• Tobacco shops (tabacs)
• Pharmacies
• Opticians
• Medical and orthopaedic stores
• Shoemakers / repairs
• Flower shops
• Pet stores
• Laundry and dry cleaning
• Laundromats
• Dry cleaners
• Garden centres
• DIY shops, hardware shops, paint shops and glassware shops
• Fnac
• Darty
• Wholesale shops
• Petrol stations
• Car repair shops
• Garages and bike shops
• Vehicle and equipment rentals
• Motorcycle and bicycle shops
• Shops needed for agricultural operations
• Computer equipment shops
• Funeral services
• Cemeteries
• Parks and gardens
• Forests and beaches
• Post Offices
• Temporary employment agencies
• Employment office
• CAF
• Tax offices
• Town hall offices
• Day care centres, educational institutions (primary and secondary schools) and extracurricular institutions
• Places of worship (but religious ceremonies are prohibited, except for funerals for up to 30 people and weddings for up to 6 people)
• Police stations
• Prefectures
• Banks and insurance companies
• Hotels and short term accommodation when they are a regular place of residence for the people living there.
• Campsites and parks for caravans or recreational vehicles when they constitute a regular place of residence for the persons living there