Tuesday at 8 p.m., the President of the Republic will address the French. A moment to follow live on lindependant.fr during which Emmanuel Macron will sweep all the subjects of the deteriorating health situation in the country.
The President of the Republic had announced, on July 12 during his last speech, his intention to return to the French to take stock of the generalization of the health pass announced that evening. He will do it this Tuesday at 8 p.m. with, no doubt, other announcements. They should be less impactful.
No containment in sight
A little over a year ago, Emmanuel Macron announced a second confinement. A year later, the health situation is no longer the same in the country despite the start of the epidemic rebound. Vaccination has gone through this and has something to reassure the French about the pursuit of economic and leisure activities of which they were deprived in the fall and during the past winter. A return of the curfew does not seem to be on the agenda either, having shown all its limits and worn out the French when it was in force until last spring.
The rise of indicators
While not alarming, the situation calls for caution. The president should insist on the rise in indicators and compare them to what is happening in England and Germany where the surge in new positive cases has been greater than in France for several weeks.
Compulsory vaccination?
The German health minister made it clear this week that the current wave “is that of the unvaccinated.” The figures for the epidemic in France show exactly the same thing as well as The Independent revealed this week. So will it be necessary to make vaccination compulsory for all in order to convince the 25% of French people not yet vaccinated to do so? It is the burden on hospitals that will be decisive. For the moment, in Great Britain as in Germany, hospitals are not overflowing despite the increase in contamination. But the arrival of seasonal illnesses, absent last year due to confinement, should demand much more from the hospital environment than last winter. One more Covid epidemic and that would be a disaster for the hospital and the nursing staff severely tested for a year and a half.
Barrier gestures and return of the mask?
The mask is no longer compulsory in France outside and in accessible places on presentation of the health pass. The increase in new contaminations shows the importance of the barrier gestures clearly released for several months. Will the president announce the return of the mask for all in addition to a more or less supported reminder of barrier gestures?
Third dose required?
A priori, Emmanuel Macron will not announce a mandatory third dose despite a very slow start of the recall campaign for those over 65 or people with comorbidity. But the period seems more to the incentive than the obligation. It remains to be seen what the executive will decide on the validity of the health pass for people eligible for the 3rd dose and who have not done so.
A political moment?
Emmanuel Macron will he take advantage of the moment to discuss more political subjects such as the reforms launched or to come, or the inflation bonus that will be paid from December? A few months before the presidential election, it is not impossible knowing that the subject of pension reform will necessarily wait after the election.
As for the subject supposed to be the hottest of the moment, the COP26, will it find its place in a speech which should be one of the last of Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term?