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HEALTH

France to reopen bars and restaurants and scrap 100km rule in June

France will continue to ease restrictions put in place to combat the coronavirus epidemic, the Prime Minister announced on Thursday, as the country prepares to reopen bars, cafés, parks and schools and scrap the 100km travel limit.

Published: 28 May 2020 17:47 CEST
Updated: 28 May 2020 19:28 CEST
France to reopen bars and restaurants and scrap 100km rule in June
France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. Photo: AFP

“Things are looking good, but not good enough to return everything back to normal,” said PM Edouard Philippe as he and other members of the French government presented the plan to reopen more of France from June 2nd.

That date marks the beginning of “phase 2” in the progressive lifting of the coronavirus lockdown imposed on March 17th by President Emmanuel Macron.

On Thursday, three weeks after France began to loosen the lockdown (on May 11th) the Prime Minister remained cautiously optimistic that the country would manage to dodge a second surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

“We need to remain very vigilant,” he said, adding “freedom will, finally, be the rule and restriction the exception.”

The long-awaited speech came after a day of talks with the Scientific Council set up to advise the government on its strategy to tackle the coronavirus epidemic.

Like phase 1, phase 2 will last for roughly three weeks, from June 2nd to June 21st.

From June 2nd France will begin to open its bars and restaurants for the first time since they were closed on March 14th.

The government will also accelerate the opening of secondary (colleges) and high schools (lycées). Cultural and sporting life will progressively return to normal.

Most shops and business that are still closed will reopen.

However some things won't change. Groups are still limited to a maximum of 10 people in public spaces, working form home is still recommended and vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with health problems still need to be protected.

Green and orange zones

Since the process to loosen lockdown restrictions began on May 11th, the government has repeated that all steps to follow will be taken progressively and be adapted to local differences.

Key in maintaining this goal was the government's coronavirus map, detailing the situation in each French département and designating it a colour (red or green) depending on the results.

Of the four regions that were coloured red – Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Grand Est and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté – most turn green in the revised map.

Île-de-France is now coloured orange –  – not red – a colour that until now has not existed on the definitive map.

French PM Philippe presented a revised coronavirus map on Thursday, flanked by the health minister and the education minister. Photo: AFP

“We will particularly keep an eye on the situation in Île-de-France, French Guiana and Mayotte,” said Philippe, referring to the regions showing the highest levels of coronavirus circulation – the greater Paris region and two of France's overseas territories.

Detailing the differences between départements on the map, Health Minister Olivier Véran said Île-de-France was in a “particular” situation due to its “high circulation of the virus in certain départements” and continued pressure on hospitals.

“We have decided that decisions in Île-de-France should be taken on a regional level and not a départemental level,” Véran said, stressing that the situation would be followed closely in all of the country's départements.

“I repeat, being green does not mean the virus is gone,” the health minister said.

French health minister Olivier Véran. Photo: screenshot France Info

Bars and restaurants

The restaurant sector has been suffered especially heavy losses during the coronavirus lockdown, taking massive financial hits from keeping shut for more than two months.

The PM said cafés, bars and restaurants would be able to reopen in all areas as of June 2nd – however orange zones (including Paris) would only be able to reopen outdoor terraces.

All employees would however need to wear a face mask at all times while customers would need to wear a mask whenever they were moving around in the establishment (they can remove it while seated at the table).

Night clubs, game rooms and show rooms will however remain closed for the time being.

READ ALSO: Masks and plastic screens – what dining out in France could look like from June

100km rule

The rule forbidding people from travelling more than 100 km from home in France will be scrapped as of June 2nd. That means people will be able to move around freely inside the country starting that date.

“The less we move around, the less we spread the virus,” the PM cautioned.

“I call on all French to show the same kind of responsibility as they have been showing throughout the crisis.”

The Prime Minister said current rules on international travel would be maintained until June 15th, but after that it aims to reopen the borders for travel from within Europe.

Schools

“Reopening schools has been a primary goal,” said Jean-Michel Blanquer, France’s education minister, stressing that the “method would remain the same,” based on “pragmatism” and “putting the health of pupils and employees first.”

As of June 2nd, all elementary and primary schools would reopen “for at least part of the week,” the education minister said, while maintaining current practices of taking in smaller groups. 

Secondary schools (collèges), which had so far only been able to reopen in green zones, would begin to reopen as of June 2nd, “both in green and orange zones,” Blanquer said.

As for high schools (lycées), they would reopen in green zones. The oral exam of the baccalauréat  – the infamous end-of-high school test – has been cancelled, Blanquer confirmed.

Parks, beaches and gardens

Parks and gardens will be reopened in all areas as of this weekend – also those coloured orange – the PM said, adding that local authorities would retain the right to impose mask-wearing as a precautionary measure.

Beaches and lakes 

Beaches and lakes will also reopen on June 2nd.

Campsites will reopen on June 2nd in green zones and June 22nd in red zones.

Gyms and swimming pools

All gyms will be able to reopen in green zones as of June 2nd and in orange zones as of June 22nd. The same goes for swimming pools.

Cinemas, theatres and museums

Theatres and museums can begin to reopen as of June 2nd in green zones, while orange zones must wait until June 22nd.

Cinemas can reopen in the whole country as of June 22nd.

Wearing a mask will be mandatory in all these spaces.

What does not change..

Groups are still limited to a maximum of 10 people in public spaces, “contact sports” will not be allowed, night clubs, game rooms and show rooms will remain closed.

Working form home is still recommended.
 

Member comments

  1. From one editor to another… you may want to correct this sentence: “Groups are still limited to a maximum of 10 people in *pubic* spaces, working *form* home is still recommended and vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with health problems still need to be protected.”
    Although a max of 10 people per pubic space seems reasonable.

  2. Looks like they have corrected pubic but ignored your FORM that should be FROM. I used to send these to the editor but there were just too many of them.

  4. So, all the Parisians who are gathering together to have the apéro in the streets will all now be able to travel more than 100 km to quieter, holiday green zones, bringing all their germs across France and infecting communities with limited medical facilities. This is frustrating.

  5. So this virus has miraculously just gone on holiday like the rest of France will in July and August. Can I have what these idiots are smoking because they have just given the green light that everything is back to normal. I for one will be socializing for some time yet.

  6. So this virus has miraculously just gone on holiday like the rest of France will in July and August. Can I have what these idiots are smoking because they have just given the green light that everything is back to normal. I for one will NOT be socializing for some time yet.

  7. There have always been germs and viruses but, now one is constantly in the news so we are supposed to avoid each other for how long? I have travelled the metro many times and have had zero problems. I have travelled Europe, America, and the Caribbean for years and only had one cold. We can go back to “normal” when some talking head says so? They have really messed with peoples minds. We have no immunization for SARS or MERS and the flu shot is a gamble.

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TRAVEL NEWS

What’s the deal with passport stamping in France?

There are clear guidelines in place about who should have their passport stamped when they enter or leave France - but the letter of the law doesn't always seem to be applied on the ground. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 17 May 2024 14:24 CEST
What's the deal with passport stamping in France?

When you pass through a French border control post, officers will check your passport and – in some cases – stamp the date of your entry or exit of the country onto one of the blank pages in the booklet.

Although the system should be clear and simple, it becomes complicated when conflicting information is given on the ground.

Here’s what the rules say, and whether it’s really a problem if your passport is incorrectly stamped.

Who should be stamped?

The purpose of the date stamps for entry and exit is to calculate how long you have been in France, and therefore whether you have overstayed your allowed time – whether that is the time allowed by a short-stay Schengen visa or the visa-free 90-day allowance that certain non-EU nationals benefit from. 

Those people who are exempt from 90-day restrictions should therefore not have their passports stamped.

EU passport – people who have an EU passport should not have it stamped, because they have the right to unlimited stays due to EU freedom of movement.

Dual nationals – people who have passports of both EU and non-EU countries should not be stamped when they are travelling on their EU passport. However, because the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’, those travelling on their non-EU passports will be stamped, unless they have other proof of residency.

READ ALSO What are the rules for dual-nationals travelling in France?

French residents – the passports of non-EU citizens who have a residency permit in France (carte de séjour) should not be stamped, because they have the right to stay in France for as long as their permit is valid.

Visa holders – people who have a long-stay visa or a short-stay visitor visa should not be stamped, because they have the right to stay in France for as long as their visa is valid. 

Tourists/visitors – people making short visits to France who do not have a visa should be stamped, with the stamps keeping track of their 90-day allowance. Visitors from nationalities who do not benefit from the 90-day rule (eg Indians) are also stamped.

Travel practicalities

When crossing a French border, you should present your passport along with other documents – visa or carte de séjour – if relevant. Don’t wait for border guards to ask whether you are a resident.

It should be noted that the carte de séjour is not a travel document and cannot be used to cross borders, not even internal Schengen zone borders. The only valid travel documents for entering France are a passport or national ID card. Any other forms of ID – driving licence, residency card etc – cannot be used for travel purposes.

Border problems

While the rules on stamping are simple in theory, many readers of The Local have reported having their passports incorrectly stamped at the border, and this seems to be a particular problem for non-EU nationals who are resident in France.

Travellers are also often given incorrect information by border guards – for example being told that only holders of the post-Brexit Article 50 TUE carte de séjour are exempt from stamping, that all non-EU nationals must have their passports stamped or that only being married to a French national exempts you from stamping.

None of these are correct.

It’s also sometimes the case that people whose passports should be stamped – tourists, visitors and second-home owners who don’t have a visa – do not receive the stamp. For frequent visitors this can be a problem because it looks as though they have had a long stay in France, due to their exit not being recorded.

The system of stamping itself is also a bit haphazard with stamps scattered throughout the passport book in random order, so border guards sometimes make mistakes and miss an entry or exit stamp and therefore think that people have overstayed when they haven’t.

So how much of a problem actually is it if your passport is wrongly stamped?

It’s one thing to know the rules yourself, it’s quite another to have an argument with a border guard, in French, when a long queue is building behind you. Numerous Local readers have reported feeling that they had no choice but to accept a stamp when an implacable guard insisted upon it.

But is this really a problem?

One thing is clear – if you are a resident of France then you have the right to re-enter, and your proof of residency (visa or carte de séjour) takes precedence over any passport stamps. So it’s not a question of being barred from the country – it can, however, be inconvenient as it might lead to delays at the border while your passport record is queried.

Meanwhile people who did not receive correct exit stamps can be incorrectly told that they have over-stayed and even be liable for a fine. 

Will the new EES passport control system improve this?

Theoretically, the EU’s new Entry & Exit System – which does away with the manual stamping of passports – should get rid of these problems.

However, as we have seen, theory and what actually happens on the ground are two different things.

The EES system, due to come into effect later this year, brings in two main changes – it makes passport checks more secure by adding diometric data such as fingerprints and facial scans and it does away with manual stamping of passports and replaces it with scans which automatically calculate how long people have been in France.

You can read full details of how it works HERE. 

So that should eliminate the problems of unclear stamps, stamps being read wrongly or passports not getting the stamps they need.

Residents in France – carte de séjour and visa holders – are not required to complete EES checks and should have a separate system at ports, airports and railway terminals.

However, at present it’s pretty common for border guards to give incorrect information to non-EU residents who are resident in the EU – let’s hope that they are properly briefed before EES is deployed.

Have you had problems with passports being incorrectly stamped? Please share your experiences in the comments section below

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