Emmanuel Macron still intends to reopen museums and terraces from mid-May

So what timetable for deconfinement in France? Well, Thursday evening, Emmanuel Macron told about fifteen mayors that he still intended to reopen museums and terraces from mid-May, before continuing a gradual reopening, in stages “every three weeks if all is fine, ”several participants in this videoconference told AFP.

The Head of State also confirmed that schools would reopen on the scheduled dates (April 26 for schools and May 3 for colleges and high schools), dates according to him “set in stone,” said a mayor. The Elysée did not comment on these reported comments. The Head of State “was very firm on the reopening of schools,” reported Marie-Claude Jarrot, DVD mayor of Montceau-les-Mines (Saône-et-Loire).

Macron more careful with his ministers

Emmanuel Macron, who then brought together a dozen ministers by videoconference, did not, according to her, “not commit to the date of mid-May for the reopening of cultural places” but repeated that “the priority was museums and terraces ”.

The President of the Republic suggested that these reopenings could be “territorialized” depending on the health situations in the different regions, “not to replay the deconfinement of last May”, according to several mayors.

No date has been given precisely for the reopening of the restaurants, which would take place as a second step.

The president “showed himself convinced by his strategy but cautious on deconfinement”, told AFP the DVD mayor of Cognac (Charente) Morgan Berger, confirming the track of a “reopening which would be gradual, by phases of two-three weeks ”and“ maybe per territory ”.

“We will use rational criteria”, assures Attal

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal confirmed to the Echoes that “certain cultural places and certain terraces will reopen in mid-May”. “This is the deadline on which we are working,” he repeated, hoping for a drop in the pressure on the hospital “perhaps as early as next week”, while France has passed the milestone. 100,000 dead Thursday.

“The president set a course: certain cultural venues and certain terraces will reopen in mid-May. Subsequently, the increase in the number of people vaccinated will allow us to reopen them gradually. We will use rational, common sense criteria, distinguishing between outdoor and indoor places, those where you walk or not, those where it is necessary to remove your mask, ”he detailed.

As for schools, “for some, the return to class could be done in half-groups” with more saliva tests in schools in the regions most affected by the epidemic, continued Gabriel Attal. Self-tests may also be offered there.

The Head of State also mentioned to the mayors the possibility of a “second generation recovery plan, co-constructed with local elected officials”, according to a participant in the meeting.