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LIVING IN FRANCE

Lockdown: How France will reopen its schools after May 11th

Schools in France will reopen from May 11th - but there are a lot of things to be sorted out before that date.

Lockdown: How France will reopen its schools after May 11th
A technician sprays disinfectant at a school in the French Riviera city of Cannes, southern France, on April 10th. Photo: AFP

Starting May 11th, France’s schools and crèches would “gradually” reopen, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday evening in a televised speech to the nation.

This would be one of the first steps France would take into what the president called “a new stage” of the coronavirus epidemic – a “progressive” unwinding of the current strict lockdown.

Universities would however remain closed “physically until over the summer” although many are currently teaching seminars online.

Children have been confined to their homes since mid March when the government ordered all of the country’s schools, crèches and universities to temporarily shut down in a bid to tackle the rapid spread of the deadly virus.

A few days later, parents were ordered to stay home too, as France entered the nationwide lockdown.

For many parents who have juggled télétravail (home working) and supervising their children's homework, the president's announcements on Monday were long-awaited, very good news.

READ ALSO: France 'loses' thousands of pupils after coronavirus school shutdown

Macron did not specify whether some areas of the country would see a return to normal before others, or if some age groups would be prioritised over others.

Teachers’ unions quickly expressed concern that they were not equipped to handle such a gradual return to normal.

“May 11th has been designated as a miracle day when all our problems will have been solved,” said Francette Popineau, Co-General Secretary and spokesperson of the largest teacher's union FSU.

“But we have a lot of questions. Will we have enough masks and hand sanitiser gel? How will we organise ourselves to have small enough groups?” 

Her worries were echoed among other teacher's unions.

“Today, the majority of classes are extremely big, said Nageate Balahcen, national administrator of the French national parent-pupil federation (FCPE), to BFMTV on Tuesday.

“Sometimes they count up to 30-35 pupils at the time, how will we continue classes in these conditions while respecting protective health measures?” she said. 

Children in France have been doing their school work from home for a month now. Many are very excited to get back to the classroom. Photo: AFP

Return to school 'not mandatory'

On Tuesday morning, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer sought to calm unions' fears by adding layers of nuance to the statements from the previous day.

“The word 'gradually' is very important,” Blanquer said about Macron's speech. “Everything won't happen from one day to the next,” he said.

 

Furthermore, the return to school on May 11th would “not be mandatory,” Blanquer said.

The education minister did not specify whether the decision to send the children back to school would be up to the schools or parents, but said the government this week entered discussions with unions to thrash out “the steps to take.”

Full classrooms were 'out of the question,” the minister said. Especially small children, who did not understand the principles of social distancing, classes would needed to be taught in “very small groups,” he said.

Again the “methodology” would need to be elaborated along with the teacher’s representatives in the two weeks to come.

Blanquer said schools “very possibly” would get stocks of masks that they could distribute to pupils and teachers, but that it belonged to the list of “things to decide in the coming two weeks.”

All schools would not open at once, he said, adding that the lycées professionnels (technical colleges) could be among the first to open.

All establishments needed to be disinfected in the coming weeks, he said.

Teachers have been handing out homework instructions to parents during the lockdown. Photo: AFP

In an echo of the president, Blanquer said the “most socially vulnerable” groups of pupils would stand first in the line when the school gates would begin to open.

Reopening the schools was an important step to limit social inequalities, the president said in his speech.

“We need to save the pupils that are drifting away because of the lockdown,” Blanquer said.

Teacher's representative Popineau said the social argument was undoubtedly important, but said she suspected the government used it to “guilt” society into accepting the their decision more easily.

The going back to school was more likely, she believed, a decision the government had made to boost the economy.

“It seems like the school is being used as a big childcare service so that mum and dad can go back to work,” she said.

If children were to safely return to school, Popineau said, they would masks for everyone, but also “much more staff” in order to teach in smaller groups and access to psychologists who could help children who had suffered difficult experiences during the lockdown.

Popineau said that she and her colleagues “would love to get back to school,” but that they needed to be certain that returning to the classrooms did not represent a health risk for the population as a whole.

“We know that schools are a place of contamination,” she said.

“We need to be completely certain that this decision is safe and scientifically founded before we even think about reopen the school gates,” she said.

 

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

France has strict regulations about washing your car, and failure to abide by these can lead to hefty fines.

Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

For many car owners, warm weather means time to finally give the vehicle a good wash.

But motorists in France should know that washing your car, motorcycle or other vehicle at home can actually be against the law in France – with some regulation even covering activities in your own driveway or garden.

Failing to respect the rules can lead to hefty fines. 

What does the law say?

There are two levels of regulation that affect car-washing – the Environmental Code and local regulations, but both of them are concerned about the same thing; the environmental impact of the runoff from your car washing.

During summer you also need to check if there are any drought restrictions in place, as some of these also ban any type of car-washing. 

In 1979, Paris became one of the first cities in France to pass legislation restricting where you can wash your car. The original Paris law states “Car washing is prohibited on the public highway, riverbanks, harbours and quays, as well as in public parks and gardens”. 

READ MORE: ‘Drive like a woman’: France targets male drivers in new road safety campaign

Since then, most départements across France have adopted similar decrees, which cover car-washing on public land – roads, pavements, parks or similar.

In order to find the rules in your area, contact your local préfecture (or ask the mayor), but most areas now have a ban on car-washing on the public highway, with a penalty of a third-class fine of €450. 

However there is also the Environmental Code, which operates on a national level, and that can cover even your own private property such as a driveway, garage or garden.

The Code states that “direct or indirect discharge of harmful substances into surface or groundwater is prohibited”.

This can affect wastewater from washing a vehicle as certain chemicals in car wash detergents, as well as any runoff motor oil, can have negative effects on local flora and fauna. Runoff can happen from both public and private land, which is why the Environmental Code has a wider scope.

Violating the rules on discharging harmful substances into water carries a maximum penalty of a two-year prison sentence or a fine of €75,000. Judges can also order defendants to carry out restoration of the environment that they contaminated.

The penalties are even harsher if you live in a coastal area where the runoff would go directly into the sea or ocean, or if you live next to a conservation zone. In this case, fines can go up to €100,000.

We should point out that these maximum penalties are more likely to be applied to companies which have been found to be polluting the local watercourse, rather than motorists washing their car, but the fines do have a large range.

So where can I wash my car?

First, you can go to a car wash (une station de lavage). Not only do car wash stations use less water than you would washing the vehicle at home (50 to 60 litres per vehicle instead of 200-300 litres at home), they also treat the wastewater. 

As a result, car washes do not risk polluting the waterways.

They are very common in France and include automatic car-washes, staffed car-washes where someone else does the hard work or the more common self-service type (usually coin operated) where you wash the car yourself use their pressure hoses and soap. These are often found in supermarket car-parks or at out-of-town shopping centre car parks.

Second, you can look for a designated car washing area. These would allow you to wash your own vehicle manually. They have special steps in place to treat the runoff water in compliance with environmental regulations. You can ask your mairie where these are located.

And finally, an alternative is to clean your car without using any water at all. To do this, you can purchase special wipes. There are also special dry-cleaning options, including sprays that you put onto your car, leave for a few seconds so that the dirt is absorbed, and then wipe off using a microfibre cloth.

Drought

During periods of drought, local authorities have the power to restrict non-essential water usage, including things like watering your garden or filling your swimming pool.

These regulations apply to any type of car-washing – on public or private space, or at a car-wash – and take precedence over any other local rules. 

You can check to see if your area is under water restrictions by going to the French government website vigieau.gouv.fr and typing in your home or rental address. The website will inform you of what (if any) restrictions are in place, the penalties of failing to respect them, as well as offering government advice for how to decrease your water usage.

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