Jean Castex. – Jacques Witt / SIPA
- The Brazilian variant still seems to be in the very minority in France, but several doctors are warning about the risk of its spread on the territory.
- The opposition has put pressure on the executive in recent days to take tougher measures on arrivals from Brazil.
- After several days of procrastination, the government finally announced the suspension of air links between France and Brazil.
It is the last mutant to date. The Brazilian variant is worrying the medical world, as the coronavirus epidemic seems out of control in the South American country. If the strain still seems to be in the very minority in France (less than 4% with the South African variant), several doctors have alerted the health authorities to the threat of its spread on the territory. The opposition has been urging the government for several days to take stricter measures concerning arrivals on French territory. After several days of procrastination, the executive finally announced on Tuesday afternoon the suspension of all flights between Brazil and France.
Ministers deemed the measure “unnecessary” on Tuesday morning
Asked about the subject at the National Assembly, Jean Castex defended the measures already in force … before announcing the closure of air links. “We note that the situation is worsening and we have therefore decided to suspend all flights between Brazil and France until further notice”, explained the Prime Minister during the questioning session to the government.
In recent hours, however, the government still seemed to be defending the status quo. Monday, the Minister for Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari praised the sanitary protocol “Reinforced” already in place, putting the risk in the area into perspective. “Before the pandemic, we had around 50,000 people arriving at Roissy per week. Today it’s 50 a day ”. The minister also justified on LCI the maintenance of air links by respecting the law,
the Council of State having provided that French nationals “in the name of freedom of movement, should be able to continue to come”.
This Tuesday morning, on Cnews, Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, considered this closure of borders unnecessary, favoring the compelling reason and the negative PCR test, so far necessary to enter France. “The suspension of flights is useful if other countries do it. If you can’t go from Rio to Paris but you can go from Rio to Lisbon, then from Lisbon to Paris, that’s no use! », He indicated, while certain trips
remain possible within the Schengen area.
“We must take measures to close borders or strict isolation”
How to explain this change of foot? The government says it has taken these new measures in the face of “the dramatic situation and the dangerousness of the variant” in Brazil, but perhaps also under pressure from the opposition. Because the left, the right and the National Rally continued their attacks on the executive on Tuesday.
“The closing of the borders is useful and absolutely necessary and I do not see how when we confine the French, we can maintain this air link”, launched this Tuesday Damien Abad, president of the group Les Républicains in the National Assembly. “Let us show pragmatism and quickly suspend all flights from Brazil”, also asked the patron saint of RN Marine Le Pen. “We must take measures to close borders or strictly isolate people who come from countries where there is a dangerous variant”, also pleaded Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the PCF.
on Cnews this Tuesday.
Within the executive, it is ensured that the issue of the Brazilian variant “is taken very seriously” by the government and will be “on the menu of the Defense Council”, scheduled for Wednesday.