While confinement had been decided in France for a fortnight, on April 4, 2020, a resident of Loir-et-Cher who was going to the bedside of his father at the end of his life was turned back by the gendarmes at the level of the bridge from the Ile de Ré,
reports France 3 New Aquitaine. He had in his possession a derogatory certificate but no proof of his trip. The gendarmes who have to carry out numerous checks at the start of the Easter holidays then force him to turn around without being able to say goodbye to his father, who dies three days later. He even finds himself sanctioned with a fine of 135 €, which will be canceled later.
On April 16, 2020, the Charente-Maritime gendarmes published their apologies in an official press release posted on their Facebook page. They speak of a “real misunderstanding”.
His lawyer will file an action for liability against the State to seek compensation for the moral damage suffered. The complainant explains that the amount requested will be symbolic but that he makes it “a matter of principle”.