France, which counted 130 cases Sunday – including two deaths – is now the second focus of the coronavirus epidemic in Europe after its Italian neighbor. To stem the spread of the virus, the two most affected areas, namely the Oise (47 cases) and the Haut-Savoyard municipality of La Balme-de-Sillingy (10 cases), are subject to strict measures. Closed schools, prohibited gatherings … The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, also recommended the inhabitants of “Limit their movements” and “If possible use telework”. In Crépy-en-Valois, in the Oise department, traders present on the Sunday morning market were even evacuated by the police.
Elsewhere, cases are multiplying and twelve regions are affected. The Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, talks about “Epidemiological mosaic” with very different situations from one department to another. Two children aged 1 and 5 and their mother were tested positive in Strasbourg in particular. A couple is hospitalized in Rennes. Three cases have been confirmed in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, the first overseas. In Martinique and Reunion, clashes erupted when planes and boats arrived suspected of transporting infected people.
All over France, nursing staff are on the front line. At Tenon Hospital in Paris, three of its members are infected with the coronavirus. Liberal medical unions are calling for masks with high levels of protection (so-called FFP2) to be distributed urgently to general practitioners.
In order to slow the spread of Covid-19, “All gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined spaces are canceled”. The Paris Agricultural Show had to close a day earlier Saturday night. The Mipim Cannes real estate show has been postponed. Cultural and sports circles are particularly impacted.
● Large concert halls at a standstill
The Louvre remained closed on Sunday due to a lack of staff, with the majority of agents asking to exercise their right of withdrawal due to the epidemic. The Arkea of Bordeaux, the Micropolis of Besançon, the Lighthouse of Chambéry, the Zénith, the AccorHotelsArena… This ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people affects 90 French theaters. The fate of big sold-out tours, like that of Matt Pokora, is uncertain. That of unique events like La Nuit de la Bretagne which is expecting 22,000 spectators on Saturday March 7 at Paris la Défense Arena, too. The Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show, which was to be held next weekend in the capital, has been canceled.
Hall owners, regional promoters, producers, French artists and agents abroad for international stars are in a panic. The duration of the ban could be aligned with that of the incubation of the virus, that is to say a fortnight. Insurance companies will not necessarily reimburse.
We urgently expect the government to let us know the official text
Le Prodiss, union of private live performance companies
After the long list of shows in deficit due to “yellow vests” and strikes, the coronavirus is a new blow to the world of culture. And producers fear the French will stop buying tickets for upcoming shows. “We urgently expect the government to let us know the official text providing the framework for the implementation of this cancellation decision”, informs the Prodiss, union of private live entertainment companies.
During the 2016 attacks, concerts were not prohibited: the responsibility for maintaining them rested with the producers. With the coronavirus, the legal situation is different. To ban a concert, the government must issue a national decree or ask the prefects to apply a decree. What if a hall with 5,000 seats is not full? Do the prefects have to check the ticket office on a case-by-case basis with the producers or simply close the rooms? To answer all these questions, a crisis meeting was planned for this Sunday at the Ministry of Culture.
● Sport between cancellations, postponements and precautions
The Paris half-marathon was the first sporting event to bear the brunt of the ban. The famous race was to bring together 44,000 athletes from around the world on Sunday. It was carried over to “A substitution date” which will be communicated “as quickly as possible”, according to Amaury Sport Organization, the organizing company.
The Jeep Elite basketball championship saw two of its matches postponed: Strasbourg-Le Portel on Saturday evening, and Asvel-Monaco on Sunday. The Villeurbanne club are due to host Valence on Tuesday as part of the European regular season Euroleague, but no decision has yet been made on how to hold the match.
As for football, special provisions have been put in place for the 27e Ligue 1 day: the absence of handshakes between players, coaches and match players, as well as between the players and the children who traditionally accompany them when they enter the field, according to the National League. A recommendation which also concerns amateur matches. For the PSG-Dijon match on Saturday, the mixed zone after the match was canceled. Before the match, the Parisian players even arrived at the Parc des Princes by a side door.
● In the street, the puzzle of upcoming events
On the demonstrations front, notably the marches for the climate planned for March 13 and 14 in Grenoble and Paris, the epidemic risk could turn into a headache. While the use of article 49-3 has provoked renewed protests with a dozen violent rallies across the country, law enforcement experts already know that it will be difficult to ban rallies in open air as has been decided, until further notice, for all meetings of more than 5,000 people in confined spaces.
“This type of restrictive measure can work when the crowd is calm, even if we see that half-marathoners braved the ban this Sunday in Paris, considers a senior official. On the other hand, the “yellow vests” recalled that no one can prevent protest demonstrations.“
We are not going to stop working because there is a risk of contagion, otherwise it would be chaos
A police officer
Convinced that citizens will ignore the virus if they want to beat the pavement, public policy strategists must also deal with the anxiety that gains the units. While protective masks renewable every three hours have been ordered, the unions urge the administration to equip agents in the field as soon as possible and to provide them with “Reflex sheets”. National Police Alliance even brandishes the threat of “right of withdrawal” for “Take no risk of contamination”.
“Is the French police ready?”, wonders for its part the General Police Union (SGP), which decided to seize the director general, Frédéric Veaux. Recalling that it only applies the recommendations of the Directorate General of Health, which only provides for the wearing of a mask in the event of prolonged exposure to a proven case in a confined environment, the administration intends to reassure. As one officer sums it up: “We are not going to stop working because there is a risk of contagion, otherwise it would be chaos.”
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