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HEALTH

UPDATE: What does it mean if my French département is a red zone for Covid-19?

The French health ministry this weekend added seven départements to the total list of 'red' zones with rapidly rising Covid-19 numbers. But what impact does the categorisation have on daily life in those areas?

Published: 21 August 2020 17:03 CEST
Updated: 22 September 2020 08:25 CEST
UPDATE: What does it mean if my French département is a red zone for Covid-19?
What changes for red départements in France. Photo: AFP

The first two départements to be bumped up to red level after the nationwide confinement were Paris and Bouches-du-Rhône in the south on August 14th. Others quickly followed suit.

A few weeks later and the list of red zones has grown to include a total of 42 départements, following weeks of rising coronavirus rates across France.

The virus is circulating more and more in France,” the French PM Jean Castex said on Friday September 11th when he announced the number of “red” départements had risen from 28 to 42.

To be categorised as a red zone, the health ministry looks at the number of new cases, but also other indicators such as hospital rates, positive test rates, the number of clusters, which are detailed in public health agency Santé Publique France's weekly reports.

The red zones are called “zone de circulation active” (zone of active circulation).

Where are the red zones?

The current list of 42 red départements is as follows: 

Seine et Marne, Yvelines, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val-d’Oise, Loiret, Côte d’Or, Seine-Maritime, Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Bas-Rhin, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique ;
Îlle et Vilaine, Gironde, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hérault, Haute-Garonne, Gard, Tarn-et-Garonne, Pyréné, Orientales, Aude, Rhône, Ain,  Puy-de-Dôme, Loire, Isère, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches du Rhône, Var, Vaucluse, Corse-du-Sud, Haute-Corse.

The overseas départements of Guadeloupe, La Reunion and Martinique are also red zones.

Guyane and Mayotte are classed purple because they are still under a state of health emergency.

Why is it classed as a red zone?

It means that the area has a level of coronavirus spread that has surpassed the alert threshold set by health authorities of 50 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the course of a week.

The figure is calculated on the number of positive PCR tests (nose swabs) recorded in the départment.

A département can also be labelled red if it has registered close to 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants for example if it is neighbouring a département with a high level of circulation, the health ministry said on their website.

The ministry considers “all indicators furnished by Santé Publique France (positivity rate, hospital pressure, number of tests performed, test positivity rate, change in the number of clusters, etc.),” they wrote.

While the red label is a sign of concern, the government stressed since they began to ease lockdown in May that the pandemic was still present on the territory and local areas would see a resurgence as life returned to normal.

By keeping a close eye on the development in each area they want to let local authorities take measures suited to their specific circumstances rather than only making blanket rules on a nationwide level. 

IN NUMBERS: How fast are France's Covid-19 rates increasing?

So what does it mean for day-to-day life in those places?

When the French health ministry label a zone red, local authorities get extended powers to take measures to stem the spread in that area. 

Among those powers are;

  • A restriction on movement – this could include restriction movement in certain areas or bringing in travel restrictions similar to those seen in May when all non-essential trips of more then 100km were banned. There could also be a ban on non-essential trips in or out of the département or in certain towns and cities.
  • Closure of bars and restaurants – local authorities have the power to close specific businesses if they are linked to a Covid cluster, or more generally either close all of a certain type of business or impose restrictions, such as limiting bars and cafés to serving on outside terraces only.
  • It's not just bars and restaurants, authorities have the power to close all non-essential places open to the public such as cinemas and museums, plus places were people tend to gather in numbers such as beaches, parks and gardens. They can also close markets.
  • Limits on gatherings – the decree states that local authorities in red zones can “prohibit, regulate or restrict gatherings or meetings” including religious gatherings but not funerals.

Health authorities can also decide to step up testing in these red zones as well as boost hospital resources if necessary.

And even when zones are not red…

  • Local authorities in all areas have the power to impose stricter rules on mask wearing and around 400 have already done so. This however is not dependent on the red zone label but often comes with it as authorities seek to act.
  • They can also limit transport to airports and boat trips

However just because authorities can impose these restrictions doesn't mean that they will, or at least not all of them.

Although as of September 10th most local authorities had not made use of their powers with very few extra restrictions imposed in red départements.

In the départements of Nord bars were ordered to close at 12.30am and the same measure was taken in Marseille. There is speculation Paris will be the next to see bar closures but at the time of this update no action had been taken.

 

 

 

 

 

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SCHOOLS

Are packed lunches really banned in French schools?

School children in France are entitled to a lunchtime meal of three, or even four courses – but what if you prefer to provide meals yourself? 

Published: 22 May 2024 12:24 CEST
Are packed lunches really banned in French schools?

French school meals are, famously, pretty good – children get a three or even four-course meal of properly prepared dishes and the menu (including cheese course) is usually published in the local town newsletter so everyone can see the types of meals being served.

The concept of a proper meal at lunchtime is an important one. “The diet of a school-age child is essential for their growth, mental development and learning abilities,” the French Education Ministry says in a preamble about school meals on its website. “It must be balanced, varied and distributed throughout the day: for example 20 percent of total energy in the morning, 40 percent at midday, 10 percent at four o’clock and 30 percent in the evening.”

And it’s not all about nutrition, the social aspect of sitting together and eating a meal is also important – the ministry continues: “Mealtime is an opportunity for students to relax and communicate. It should also be a time for discovery and enjoyment.”

All schools provide meals in a canteen and most pupils take up the opportunity – however it’s also possible for pupils to go home at lunchtime so that they can eat lunch with their parents.

The idea of taking in a packed lunch (panier-repas) is much less common in France – but is it actually banned?

The rules on lunch

At écoles (up to age 11), the local authority or établissement public de coopération intercommunale (EPCI) is responsible for providing quality school meals. This generally involves meals being provided via a central kitchen, and then delivered to the school’s kitchen, where it can be kept warm, or reheated as necessary.

The system is slightly different in collèges and lycées (attended by children aged 11 and up). In those establishments, catering falls into the purview of the wider département or region – and is routinely managed directly by individual establishments, which will have catering staff on site to prepare meals. Often, meal services are outsourced to private businesses, which operate the kitchens.

There are various rules and regulations in place regarding what food is offered, and how long a child has to eat – which is, in part, why the school lunch period is so long. Children must be allowed a 30-minute period to eat their meal, from the moment they sit down with it at the table. 

Then, they’re given time to play and relax before afternoon classes start.

READ ALSO What you need to know if your child is starting school in France

At a minimum lunch must include a main course with a side dish, a dairy-based product, as well as a starter and/or a dessert. Meals must also, the government says, be composed of 50 percent sustainable quality products (including 20 percent organic).

Some local authorities go further and serve only or mostly food that is organic, locally sourced or both.

Water and bread must be freely available, but salt and condiments can only be added in preparation – no sauce bottles or salt and pepper on the tables. 

Daily menus are generally available to view on school websites and many town newspapers or newsletters also publish them.

Parents pay a fee for the school lunch, which is calculated according to income and can be free in the case of low-income families.

Packed lunch

But what if your child doesn’t like the school lunches and you don’t have time to pick them up, cook a full lunch and take them back in the afternoon everyday? The obvious solution would seem to be to send them in with a packed lunch, as is common in the UK and USA.

In theory this is possible, but only in certain circumstances and with very strict rules and caveats. 

The Ministry, in a written response to a Senator’s question in 2019, said: “The use of packed lunches [home-supplied meals] by primary school students can provide an alternative to school meals. This method of catering is authorised in particular for children with a medically established food allergy or intolerance, requiring an adapted diet.”

READ ALSO How to enrol a non-French speaking child in school in France

It added: “the preparation and use of packed lunches in schools must follow certain rules. First of all, it is important to respect the cold chain”.

The cold chain is a term applied to food handling and distribution – it’s usually used by food-preparation businesses, but in the context of a packed lunch it means that food prepared at home must be kept in appropriately cool conditions until it is ready to eat. It would be the responsibility of parents to ensure that the food is delivered to school in containers appropriate for the job (ie an insulated cool bag).

Once at the school, it is up to whoever manages the kitchen to ensure that food is properly reheated. This becomes the sticking point at which many parents’ requests to send their children to school with a packed lunch, rather than go to the canteen, or eat back at home, are refused.

The reheating concern suggests that schools are also expecting parents to prepare a proper meal – rather than just throwing some sandwiches and a cereal bar into a bag.

Unless there’s a genuine and proven health reason for your child to eat a home-prepared meal, most parents will probably find the school won’t budge on this – even in cases of a strike by kitchen staff or lunch monitors.

READ ALSO Just how much do private schools in France cost?

The Ministry’s written response explains: “[A]s this is an optional public service, the municipality can justify its refusal to admit the children concerned by objective material and financial constraints, such as the need to equip itself with additional refrigerators, or for additional supervisory staff to supervise them during lunch.”

As well as the practicalities, for some schools this is an equality issue – because of the varied fee structure for school lunches what happens in effect is that richer parents are subsidising a good quality lunchtime meal for poorer students in the class; if everyone brought in a packed lunch and therefore stopped paying the fee, the lower-income kids would miss out. 

What about allergies or other health issues?

Children with allergies or other health issues that require a particular diet must be accommodated. An individual meal plan – known as a projet d’accueil individualisé (PAI) can be set up. More details (in French) are available here, on the government’s website.

It also becomes easier for parents to provide home-produced meals in such instances. As ever, it is up to the parents to ensure any meals are appropriately packaged and transported to school.

Not all schools

Some individual schools in France do permit pupils to bring in meals from home. They must be taken to school in an appropriate cold-storage container, and they will be stored in the kitchen area until they are needed, when meals will – if necessary – be reheated.

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