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Ramblings of a retiree in France
News from France
I returned from vacation yesterday evening and needed to catch up with what’s going to be happening in France this week.
There are several Covid-related rules changes – what else! – in France this week from changes to mask rules in schools and free Covid tests to the Paris Marathon.
All week
The Semaine du Goût (taste week) runs all this week to celebrate all things flavourful (mainly French cuisine and wine). The programme includes tasting sessions, quizzes and workshops on making everything from patisserie to crêpes all over France.
Monday (yesterday)
From Monday, primary schools in 21 départements of France will scrap mask rules in the classroom. This is in addition to the 47 areas that scrapped the rule last Monday and comes as Covid cases in France (thankfully) continue to steadily fall.
Tuesday
French president Emmanuel Macron will continue in apparent campaign mode on Tuesday albeit without actually having announced he will definitely stand for re-election. He will explain his plan for France 2030 which will lay out how the government will invest tens of billions in technology for the future in the hope French tech companies can rival US or Chinese competitors.
Wednesday
There will be nationwide strikes by museum and gallery staff protesting against the use of the Covid-19 health pass. Members of the public must show their pass (vaccination, negative test or recovery from Covid-19) to gain entry into France’s most famous monuments and sites.
The measure aims to keep the infection spread down and to encourage people to get vaccinated but unions say it is no longer needed due to the high level of vaccinations and the fact mask wearing is obligatory in cultural sites.The strike is set to begin on Wednesday but may continue………….
It had been suggested that the French health pass could be lifted in certain parts of the country where infection rates are low, but the government has now announced that no relaxation will take place before 15th November.
The decision not to relax restrictions, even though France as a whole has now passed below the alert level of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, was based on advise from the Scientific Council. The panel of scientists who advise the government called for caution as France enters the winter period, where the virus is more likely to spread.
Thursday
Members of France’s Socialist Party will vote for their chosen candidate for the 2022 presidential election. It looks like it will be the current Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, but current polls also suggest she has very little chance of being elected next April. All that could change of course over the coming months.
Friday
Covid tests are no longer free for everyone. From today there are new rules on who qualifies for free testing. The tests remain free for anyone who has Covid symptoms or is a contact case, but if you are not vaccinated, ‘convenience tests’ such as those needed for travel or to use the health passport must be paid for (Euros 45). Tests for under 18s remain free in all circumstances.
Saturday
Weekly protests against the health pass continue, although these are now much shrunken in number and in most places number just a few hundred people.
Sunday
Rescheduled Paris marathon (finally) takes place. The 2020 event, due to be held in February, was one of the first events to be cancelled. Organisers have attempted to reschedule several times since then and now, 19 months later, it is finally going ahead. The race is a health passport event and will take place on the traditional route through the centre of Paris.
What’s happening in your neck of the woods?
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Nu börjar allt bli som vanligt i Sverige. De som fyllt 80 år får nu sin 3:e vaccination.
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Thanks for updating me on what’s happening in Sweden
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Heat….Summer is having trouble leaving the South. Cooler temps may be coming this weekend.
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Unless you’re Down Under
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Masks mandated in our schools until rates are 5% or below. But then comes regular flu season……
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The additional Covid protocols may help with flu
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seems france is very busy with everything this week! xo
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True, there’s a lot going on
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That all seems rather calm and sedate compared to life in UK.
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The French are generally viewed as being more excitable but they’re not.
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In the States, the bickering goes on: who will abide by mask mandates and who will not. Same old, same old…
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Shame
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Denmark has dropped the masks (with the exception of airports and airplanes) and also dropped the COVID-19 passport. The latter came as a surprise, as the government was so in favour (they wanted to pressure the rest of the people to get vaccinated), but some of the other parties were against it, as Denmark has now 80% of the population vaccinated.
I still don’t understand the logic of the passport, as the not vaccinated people are the ones in danger to catch the virus, not the vaccinated ones. And yes, even vaccinated people can catch the virus, but they can also catch it from other vaccinated people, who can be bearers. And I have not seen any research yet that confirms, that vaccinated people have a higher chance to catch the virus (and get sick) from not vaccinated people than from vaccinated ones. Anyway, for the moment we are mask and passport-less in Denmark.
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We’re heading that way too but probably not before 2022. Thanks for the update Stella.
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Thanks for the news Sheree 🙂
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My pleasure
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We’re in Alberta and Covid is creating a lot of continued problems for health professionals and we have many deaths … it’s all very strange … I’m being a cautious 🤓sending all good things hedy 🕊💫
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You’re wise to be cautious
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We don’t need a health passport here but we will need to show something in Holland on Friday. Hopefully the ones we have suffice.
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We needed our health passports (and masks) in Italy, Slovenia and Austria but neither in Hungary.
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Wow will things ever get back to normal. Here in the US deaths are down and they are starting to give the booster shot. I just want it over!
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I think we’d all like it to be over Diane
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Infections rising together with Government incompetence.
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It doesn’t make pretty reading
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*sigh*. And still they’re heading the polls.
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Incroyable!
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There are no words, actually …
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Thanks for this, Sheree. Most of our rules are now relaxed; cases continuing mostly in unvaccinated. London marathon went ahead with testing.
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Thanks for the update Derrick
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Here in Arizona it is all over the place. In the city there are places where you need a passport to eat in the restaurants or attend events, not all but some. Our governor said mass mandates are illegal since it goes against our constitutional rights but the schools went to the Supreme court and won that in their institutes they can make children wear them. Most people don’t wear masks here in the city. Up north or in small towns outside the city, you will get glared at if you wear a mask since they believe it has to do with showing support for our new president. Depending on whether you are in a Blue area (Phoenix, Tuscon and the reservations.) or a Red area ( Payson, Mesa, Glendale, Peoria to name a few) you get treated differently in different areas. It is all strange to me. Even the products for sale are different in Red or Blue areas. Arizona is a purple state right now and the two are battling it out for complete control. I just want things to go back to normal as close as possible, so we all can have some peace.
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Wow! I had no idea that Arizona was so complicated – condolences.
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