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Macron: It’s too early to say if summer holidays to France will happen this year

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday it was too early to say if vacations will be possible this summer, even as the country prepares a gradual lifting of a two-month coronavirus lockdown.

Published: 5 May 2020 15:42 CEST
Macron: It's too early to say if summer holidays to France will happen this year
Emmanuel Macron was visiting a school today ahead of the partial reopening next week. Photo: AFP

The government will on May 11th start easing the strict stay-at-home orders imposed since mid-March against a virus that has killed more than 25,000 people in France.

But people will not be allowed to travel more than 100 kilometres from their homes for the time being, and bars, cafes restaurants and cinemas will remain closed.

READ ALSO When will be able to travel to France again

And there is currently no plan to lift the strict ban on non-essential travel into France.

Macron said in a televised interview: “We're going to limit major international travel, even during the summer holidays.

“We will remain among Europeans, and maybe we will have to limit that even more.”

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's office confirmed to The Local that the travel restrictions on people entering France will continue after May 11th.
 
The PM's office could not give a date on when they would end but said “everything will depend on how the virus is circulating both within France and abroad”.
 
Scores of summer concerts, sporting events and other activities have already been cancelled, and until July 24th at least, France will require people arriving from outside Europe to remain in quarantine for two weeks – effectively ending many overseas trips as well as the country's hugely important tourism industry.

READ ALSO EXPLAINED: France's plan for quarantine measures for travellers

“The virus is still here, we have not beaten it,” Macron warned.

Macron's government faces growing criticism of its post-lockdown plans, in particular the move to start reopening schools next week, even as hard-hit European neighbours Italy and Spain push back any return to class until September.

Nearly 330 mayors in the greater Paris region have urged the government to push back the school openings, saying the strict health measures including a limit of 15 students per class are proving difficult to implement.

But parents worried about exposing their children to infection will not be forced to return them to school.

“I understand their questions, their concerns,” Macron said, though he added: “For a child, being forced to stay home for two months is quite a traumatic experience.”

He said his goal is “for all students who need to return, because they are falling behind, because their families are unable to help them study, because their parents have to work… that they are able to go to school.”

Government ministers are set to meet on Thursday to finalise the post-lockdown measures and determine which regions are still facing critical contagion risks, which could limit any easing of travel restrictions.

Macron also urged people to continue with social distancing and other protections to limit the outbreak.

“We don't want to start sliding back after three weeks” and be forced to reimpose lockdown, he said.

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HEALTH

The different ways you can make a doctor’s appointment in France

Booking a medical appointment in France can be time-consuming – especially if you are new to the country and are looking for an English-speaking doctor.

Published: 13 May 2024 16:52 CEST
The different ways you can make a doctor's appointment in France

You do not need a carte vitale to book a doctor’s appointment in France – anyone who needs medical help while in the country is entitled to it, but you may not be entitled to any reimbursement if you are not part of the social security system.

Booking a GP’s appointment can be as simple as phoning up your friendly neighbourhood GP, or using an online service such as Doctolib. 

It helps a lot, if you have a médecin traitant – an attending GP, who adds you (and your family, if they can) to their list of patients. 

READ ALSO Explained: How to register with a doctor in France

It is not always easy to find one. Some parts of the country are short of GPs, which means doctors’ lists can fill up very quickly. But it is important that anyone who lives in France is registered with a named GP, especially if they have a carte vitale.

As well as being the main point of contact between patients and the medical profession in all its guises, it is financially responsible to be registered with a GP in France.

Reimbursement on consultations is typically 70 percent through the French healthcare system, but just 30 percent for anyone without a declared doctor. Meanwhile, top-up mutuelle health insurance companies usually require you to declare a médecin traitant and if you don’t, you may not be able to receive reimbursements on certain treatments.

Bear in mind, it is your responsibility to register with a local médecin traitant. But, even after you have done so, you can still make an appointment with any doctor, anywhere in France, and arrange specialist treatment, if you need it. 

READ ALSO 5 things to know about visiting a doctor in France

How do you go about making a GP appointment in France?

There are several options.

Some health centres – more often in larger towns and cities – operate a walk-in policy. But expect waits to be lengthy. Do not, however, assume that your GP operates a system like this.

You can phone for an appointment. This is another very common method. Your GP will have their own system for making appointments – which may even include something that looks, to the uninitiated, very much like a casual walk-in policy. 

Some may have an assistant to deal with booking appointments and other administration. Others may deal with appointments themselves, and may – for example – operate some sort of triage system based on voice messages from patients. 

What about online booking systems?

And many practitioners are now attached to websites, such as Doctolib. As of 2023, about half of all GP appointments in France were made using Doctolib.

READ ALSO How to use: French medical website Doctolib

Be aware that other online booking systems are available. Doctolib is one of the best known, but your GP may be attached to another system, like the health ministry approved site ‘LeMedecin.Fr’.

This website also has a feature where you can take an immediate online consultation with whatever doctor is available at that moment. By clicking ‘Consultez en vidéo maintenant’ you will be connected to the next doctor who is free. This option may involve an additional charge between €5-10 on top of the price of the consultation, and you will be expected to pay when booking.

If you have any trouble with either of these websites, you can go through the list of registered generalists per département on the ‘Ameli’ website. If you use this option, you will need to call the doctor to see if they are open or available for appointments.

In terms of wait times, online systems have helped to significantly reduce the delay between booking and getting an appointment.

According to a 2023 study by Doctolib, about half of all GP appointments were available within three days from the time of booking on their platform.

Similarly, you can use online platforms to check the medical professional’s qualifications and languages spoken, as well as filter based on the doctor’s English abilities. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt because not every medical professional with English listed on their Doctolib page speaks fluent English. 

An increasing number of doctorsoffer video consultations, known as télémédecine in France. This allows professionals – particularly those in more rural areas – to diagnose less serious conditions remotely. This type of consultation is usually only available from those medical practices that are attached to online booking systems. 

Some pharmacies have also begun offering walk-in télémedicine consults, using ‘Medadom’ machines. More information here.

What about specialists?

In France, you book your own consultations with specialists, even if you are referred by a doctor (your GP may offer a recommendation, but won’t always). The good news is that many specialists do use online booking services. Those that do not usually have assistants to take care of the appointments.

READ ALSO: Urgent care: How to get non-emergency medical treatment in France

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