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HEALTH

Where in France are gyms, sports centres and swimming pools closing under Covid-19 restrictions?

Along with early bar closing, sports facilities in many parts of France are also shutting. Here's what facilities are affected in your area.

Published: 25 September 2020 16:49 CEST
Where in France are gyms, sports centres and swimming pools closing under Covid-19 restrictions?
Photo: AFP

In areas of 'high alert' such as Paris and its inner suburbs, gyms and sports centres will close from September 28th for a minimum of two weeks, health minister Olivier Véran announced on Wednesday.

“These are confined spaces where wearing a mask is impossible or at least complex and which are unfortunately places of significant contamination,” said Olivier Véran when justifying the decision.

READ ALSO: MAP: Where are the latest Covid-19 alert areas in France?

So how will the new rules work?

 

Firstly it depends on where you live.

The closures apply to all areas labeled as 'heightened alert' or maximum alert' on the government's new scale.

You can find about how that works HERE.

At present there are 11 areas in the 'hightened alert' category; Paris and its surrounding suburbs and the Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Lyon, Saint-Étienne, Rouen, Grenoble, Rennes, and Montpellier metropole areas.

The maximum alert areas are the overseas département of Gaudeloupe and the Aix-Marseille area.

However these designations are revised weekly so keep an eye on this map for the latest.

What is closing?

All gyms and sports halls in the high risk areas will close, starting on Monday 28th. How long they will stay closed will depend on the health situation in each area, but the initial closure will be for two weeks.

What about swimming-pools and private lessons? 

The Health Minister did not mention swimming-pools in his briefing, but prime minister Jean Castex said during a TV interview on Thursday that indoor pools will close in the risk areas.

According to Véran, who was on set during the live TV show with Castex, this closure will be decided along with prefects, on the local level.

Local authorities in the affected areas have some leeway to set restrictions in their area, adapted to local conditions. Authorities in Paris are expected to release on Friday evening or Saturday morning the detailed plans for the capital.

The same applies to private sport lessons.

 

Photo: AFP

For now, outdoor swimming pools remain open, even in high alert and maximum alert areas.

In areas that are not designated as heightened or maximum risk, sport centres, gyms and indoor swimming-pools will not close, but still have to follow the strict health protocols that have been in place since they reopened in June.

No exception for Roland-Garros 

In the meantime, the French Open – which began this week and runs until October 11th after being postponed from May – will also have to adapt to the government’s latest measures.

Castex insisted the paris-based Grand Slam tournament follows the rules imposed on sports events taking place in zones where Covid-19 is showing signs of resurgence.

“We will apply the same rules at Roland Garros as elsewhere,” said Castex.

Two weeks ago event organisers said they would be able to welcome 5,000 spectators a day instead of 11,500 – the usual capacity being 20,000.

But they will now have to follow the 1,000 person maximum restriction each day (not including staff and media).

READ ALSO: Protests in Covid-hit Marseille over order to close bars and restaurants

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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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