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Fréjus Tunnel that connects France and Italy to close this weekend
The tunnel will close for 12 hours and not the 56 hours originally announced
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TotalEnergies opens service station for electric vehicles in Paris
It is the first of its kind in the capital and has ultra-fast charging
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Conductors on French public transport will soon be able to check your address
Move is part of anti-fraud plans to prevent people from giving false information during fines including on SNCF trains
Volunteer platform launches to help in Covid-19 crisis
The French government has launched a new website for anyone who would like to help vulnerable people during the health crisis.
Volunteers can offer help via jeveuxaider.gouv.fr to take care of children for parents who are working, such as health and supermarket workers, to distribute food and necessary goods to homeless and others in difficulty.
You can also offer to do shopping for neighbours who may be elderly of in other ways more vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus or keep contact with them by email or phoning to help them feel less lonely.
Associations can also propose a new mission to help others on the website.
Everyone can apply and there are a range of different missions on the website.
Barrier gestures must always be respected and a minimum distance of one metre between the volunteer and the other person must be kept.
Volunteers should remind others of the rules and restrict to missions from home if they are over 70 years old or have a chronic disease.
If you feel sick, you should stay at home, and inform the association you are working with.
To declare this on your form, you must tick the right box according to your mission. If you go out to distribute food and other goods with an association the government helpline said to tick ‘participation à des missions d’intérêt general sur demande de l’autorité administrative’ (participation in general interest work on the request of the administrative authority).
If you do shopping for your neighbours, you can tick ‘déplacements pour effectuer des achats de fournitures nécessaires à l’activité professionnelle et des achats de première nécessité dans des établissements dont les activités demeurent autorisées’ (travel to make essential purchases for work reasons, or for necessary goods, in authorised establishments).
If you take care of children, you should tick the box ‘déplacements pour motif familial impérieux, pour l’assistance aux personnes vulnérables ou la garde d’enfants’ (travel for imperative family reasons, for assistance to vulnerable persons or childcare).
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