Starting from June 2, France enters phase 2 of its containment exit plan. This Thursday May 28, 2020 Prime Minister Edouard Philippe presented the principles of this new step and the new rules coming with it. By the way, he also presented a new deconfinement map on which we see most of the country is green, excluding the following regions: Île-de-France, Mayotte, and French Guiana now in orange area. As for the red area, it has disappeared.
But careful though, Health Minister Olivier Véran reminds the green area does not mean the virus has gone way and barrier gestures are no longer needed. In concrete words, what changes in green areas starting from June 2, 2020? Let us have a look.
Outings and leisure
In addition to parks and gardens, from June 2, 2020 museums and monuments are authorized to reopen all around France, so are beaches, lakes, and water bodies. Past this day, in green areas, swimming pools, and gyms will be back, so are outdoor leisure centers, including theme parks, and zoos.
If show venues and theaters can prepare their reopening from June 2 in green area, movie theaters can only reopen from June 22, 2020 in France. Moving on to cafés, bars and restaurants, patrons will be welcomed from June 2 given a 10-people limit per table is set and a maximum 1-meter distance between tables is set and that staff and patrons wear facemasks. Edouard Philippe also invites bars to forbid staying up to have a drink to enable social distancing.
Moving on to night clubs, arcades, stadiums, and hippodromes, they remain shut until June 21 and gatherings over 10 people in a public space and collective and contact sports are banned.
Mobility and tourism
Within step 2, the famous 100km limit rule is no longer applied. Therefore, French people can now travel all around the country without having to justify the necessity of their trips. Tourism accommodations such as holiday villages, family vacation home, collective inns and campsites are allowed to reopen from June 2 in green area. Yet, summer camps can only reopen from June 22.
School
Starting from June 2, all schools are to reopen, and family may send their children back to school at least for a few days in the week. In green area, junior high schools will be able to welcome pupils from 6th grade t 9th grade. All general high schools and technical colleges will also open and make sure students from at least one level can come back. Students can also meet teachers from private assessments.
