Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Friday that “any entry or exit to the French territories from or to a country outside the European Union will be prevented from midnight on Sunday,” specifying that exceptions will be possible “for an inevitable reason.”

Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clement Bion, said in a tweet on Sunday that a negative PCR test will be required for any entry into France from an EU country, “except for road carriers, border workers and border area residents who live within a 30 km radius from their home” .

If Switzerland is not affected by the closing of the French border, it is because it is part of the Schengen area, in this case it is not considered a country outside the European Union, unlike the United Kingdom.

Like European Union citizens, Swiss who are neither frontier workers nor residents of border living areas must submit a negative PCR test, which should not exceed 72 hours.

In fact, there was a certain ambiguity on Sunday in the application of these measures, as evidenced by the 12:30 p.m. journalist who went to Burley (GE) habits at midday.

>> Details within 12:30 PM:

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The French ambassador to Switzerland Frederic Jornes, who was invited on Sunday evening at the forum, provided clarifications about these unknowns. “There was a moment of hesitation,” he admits, “because we wanted to immediately warn about the arrival of the measures, so that the people would be ready for them.”

So the announcement was made Friday night before the exact texts were written, hence the uncertainty. These were posted overnight from Saturday to Sunday.

Thus, officially, a PCR test is necessary to enter France, whatever the mode of transportation, except for “living areas,” he explains. Here A reference dictated by the French Ministry of the Interior Which will be used by governors and police departments, he adds.

>> Explanations of Frédéric Journès in the forum:

Police searches beefed up

Additionally, French non-food malls over 20,000 square meters – that is, those that promote the most fermentation – were closed on Sunday. Starting Monday, attendance metrics in all supermarkets will also be ramped up.

The French government said that police checks will also be strengthened to ban the curfew at 6 pm, and instructions for “special packages will be applied to those who violate the established rules.”

Avoid confinement

Through these measures, the French government aims to avoid imposing new general restrictions on the territory, despite the continuing high level of epidemic spread in the country. The death rate is not decreasing, with 356 deaths in hospitals on Friday, bringing the total death toll since the start of the epidemic to 75,620.

“Even if the virus is spreading at a high level and even if the entrances in the intensive care unit exceed the exits, we are not increasing exponentially,” however, Minister of Health Olivier Ferrand explained in an interview with the Journal de Dimanche.

He added, “The Scientific Council indicated that the urgency was a little less, and that we did not risk taking a week to monitor what was happening.”

“The president has taken it that there is no emergency to contain it and that there is still an opportunity, thanks to the collective mobilization of the ability to avoid containment. A slight slowdown in pollution could allow us to monitor what might happen for a few days. It will happen.”

afp / jop / kkub