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What you need to know about France’s lockdown rules on sport and outdoor activities

From Saturday November 28th the rules on exercising and outdoor activities change in France. Here's a look at the new rules.

Published: 2 November 2020 16:32 CET
Updated: 28 November 2020 16:00 CET

What you need to know about France's lockdown rules on sport and outdoor activities

Runners in France must now stay within 1km of their home address. Photo: AFP

Macron made the announcement in a live speech to the nation on Tuesday evening, where he also outlined three phases for lifting lockdown moving forward.

“We have passed the peak of the second wave,” Macron said, “our efforts, your efforts, have paid off.”

Here's a look at how this will impact exercising, sport and other outdoor activities in France such as walking the dog.

Until November 28th

Up until November 28th France's rules on taking exercise were similar to those during the first lockdown, limited to one hour and 1 kilometre from the home, always in the company of a signed and dated attestation (permission form).

All sports clubs were closed.

November 28th

On this date, the government will relax some of the rules while other restrictions in place.

Three hours and 20 kilometres – Everyone will be able to go outside for a walk, exercise or play certain sports for up to three hours at the time and within a radius of 20 kilometres around their homes.

If in doubt about how far 20 kilometres is from your home, you can check out this handy little map from Le Parisien. Tap in your address and a circle appears showing how far you are allowed to distance yourself without breaking the rules.

Attestation – Everyone leaving their house must continue to, whatever their errand is, bring a signed permission form to show police in the event of a check. This rule will be in effect until December 15th, when France will lift lockdown if Covid-19 cases stay low. However the attestation will likely change, seeing as the current one specifies exercise as limited to 1 kilometre and one hour.

Individual – This will not change either. As has been the case since the second lockdown entered into effect, exercise should be done on an individual basis. That means going for a walk or a run and 'just happening' to bump into your friends does not fit within the rules. Social distanced walks with friends will not be allowed yet either.

Activity: Up until now the permitted activities have not been listed in the attestation but this has included individual outdoor activities such as jogging, cycling and walking (with or with a dog).

Sports – However some outdoor sports are once again permitted from Saturday. Tennis is allowed and golf clubs are permitted to reopen albeit with strict sanitary rules in place. Individual water sports such as surfing and wind surfing are allowed from Saturday.

Horse riding, fishing and athletics are also allowed.

Family – You can however walk or run with others if they live in the same household as you.

Group sports – Remain forbidden. The exception to the rule is children, as French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said in the tweet below. Sport clubs for children may resume their activity as of November 28th if they are outdoors.

Le président @EmmanuelMacron a annoncé qu’à partir du 28 novembre, la pratique sportive sera possible dans la limite de 3H/jour, dans un rayon de 20km autour du domicile avec attestation.
Et la pratique sportive des mineurs dans le cadre associatif fera son retour en extérieur

— Roxana Maracineanu (@RoxaMaracineanu) November 24, 2020

Driving to a forest – If you want to take your car to drive to a nicer place to work out, you likely will be able to – however this has not yet been specified. Prime Minister Jean Castex will hold a press conference on Thursday morning to provide more details on the new lockdown rules.

Dog-walking – This is covered by the exercise box and must respect the three hour, 20 kilometres-rule.

Indoor sports centres/swimming pools – Will remain closed across France. Amateur team sports will not be allowed. Professional sports continued throughout the second lockdown, though behind closed doors.

Fishing – Was banned with the second lockdown, but French media have reported this will likely be allowed again as of November 28th. Hunting is already allowed (for some types of hunting).

Parks/gardens – Unlike the first lockdown, parks and public gardens never closed this time and they will continue to stay open in the weeks ahead.

To work – Work trips and trips to pick up children after school are not covered by the exercise box on the attestation and therefore not subject to the same rules. This was perhaps a bit more important in the period preceding November 28th seeing as few parents will have to exceed the 20 kilometres-limit to get their children after school.

9pm – France is planning to install a national nighttime curfew on December 15th, but until that date there is nothing illegal about going for a nocturnal walk, as long as you have the attestation with you.

December 15th

This is the date France plans to lift lockdown, which means no more filling out attestations to go out the door, no more rules limiting how far you are allowed to distance yourself from the home, and – crucially – no more restricting exercise to individual practices.

That means football games outside, a match of tennis or a walk will friends will be lawful again.

All this depends on the fact that Covid-19 cases remain low enough for the government to ease the lockdown.

These are the rules that will be in effect as of December 15th:

9pm-7am – A new nighttime curfew will make it illegal to go outside for exercise purposes between 9pm and 7am.

Swimming pools and gyms – Will remain closed.

January 20th

If numbers remain below 5,000 new Covid-19 cases per day, the limit Macron set on Tuesday evening, the government will lift the remaining rules on this date.

Gyms and pools – will reopen, if health conditions are met.

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Explained: How dangerous are French heatwaves?

A recent report highlighted the potential risks to athletes’ health if this summer’s Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games take place during a heatwave. The report, backed by climate scientists and athletes, warned of the potentially fatal risks of high temperatures at this year’s Games.

While most people are unlikely to be trying to break a 100m record during a heatwave – or any other time in fact – high temperatures bring with them serious risks to health.

Mercury rising

Any temperatures in France are getting higher, the country has endured a series of record heatwaves in recent years.

The all-time temperature record for Paris is 42.6C, set during a heatwave in 2019. It’s entirely possible this record won’t last long – 2022 was the hottest year on record in France, with a record 33 days meeting officially defined heatwave conditions: five in June and 14 in both July and August.

Vérargues, in the southern Hérault département, holds the highest recorded temperature in France – 46C set on June 28th, 2019.

The highest national average temperatures in France were recorded later in the year: August 5th, 2003, saw an average national temperature of 29.47C, followed by July 25th, 2019, when the average daily temperature was 29.4C.

And remember – air conditioning is not standard in French homes.

Health risks

There is no question that heatwaves can be fatal – some 400 people died in France in a two-week heatwave in August 2023 when new local temperature records were set around the country, according to public health data.

Over the whole of last summer, some 5,000 excess deaths were recorded between June 1st and September 15th, 2023, of which 1,500 were attributed to the heat.

Over the same period, nearly 20,000 heat-related emergency calls were recorded, according to a report by Santé Publique France published in February this year, and 10,600 additional hospitalisations followed a visit to the emergency department during periods of high temperature.

The risk is highest among the elderly or people with chronic health conditions, but also at risk are outdoor workers and people exercising – including hiking – during the hottest part of the day.

The government issues weather warnings – ranging from yellow (be aware) to red (potential risk to life) during heatwaves and we would strongly advise people to take notice and follow the advice, even if you come from a hot country.

Climate trends

And it seems that the situation is not going to get better soon, even if the response has improved.

“By the end of the century, heatwaves will be more frequent, more intense, and spread over a period from May to October,” warned France’s Haut Conseil pour le climat (High Council for the Climate) in a report in 2021.

Around 80 percent of the French population will experience 16 to 29 abnormally hot days each year over the three decades to come, as climate change takes hold according to a 2022 study by national statistics institute Insee – with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Occitanie the most affected regions.

It estimates that more than 9 million people will have to endure more than 20 extremely hot days each year in the years to come. Nighttime temperatures will also rise, with some areas seeing up to 19 abnormally hot nights each year, compared to seven between 1976 and 2005.

The phenomenon of ‘tropical nights’ – where the temperature does not drop below 23C even at night – is linked to sleepless nights and heat stress, as the body does not get the chance to cool itself.

Meanwhile, Santé Publique France’s figures underline the impact of high temperatures during heatwaves, it said, and confirmed the need for measures throughout the country, and for a reinforced strategy of adaptation to climate change, to reduce the impact of heat on health.

The unusual Pentecôte public holiday in France, when many people work ‘for free’ by donating that day’s salary a government ‘solidarity fund’ for the elderly, was introduced in 2005 following the disastrous 2003 heatwave, when more than 15,000 French people, most of them elderly, died in the sweltering temperatures.

Heat islands

The particular problem with Paris – and other major conurbations – is that it is a noted ‘urban heat island’, where temperatures can be up to 10C warmer than in the surrounding countryside, due to a combination of human activities, concrete surfaces that reflect heat, and heat pollution such as air conditioning units and cars.

The phenomenon also leads to significantly warmer nighttime temperatures, as heat accumulates during the day but cannot escape in the same way it might in a less dense environment – making for sticky nights that make it hard to sleep and increase the effects of heat stress, especially among the elderly or ill.

Emergency plans

One thing that has improved in recent years is how France deals with its heatwaves.

After 2003’s fatal summer, the French government introduced new protocols to protect the public whenever the temperature rises above a certain threshold.

Today, when the temperature soars, the government issues health advice on staying safe, which includes: drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, staying indoors during the hottest part of the day (afternoon and early evening), keeping in the shade, exercising only during the coolest parts of the day (early morning and late nights) and eating regular meals.

Most cities now have heatwave plans. Parks stay open at night and ‘cool rooms’ open up to give those in at-risk groups a chance to be taken somewhere they can cool down.

Fire risk

Extreme temperatures and long periods without rain also increase the risk of wildfires.

The year 2022 was the worst on record for wildfires in France. In total 72,000 hectares, or an area seven times the size of Paris, burned over the summer.

Overall, 90 percent of fires are caused by humans – either deliberately or accidentally. But while casually throwing away a cigarette is objectively dumb, heatwaves can – and do – increase the risk of fires.

Where weather conditions do have a major effect is in turning what would perhaps have been a containable fire into a wildfire that devours thousands of hectares of ground and prompt evacuations.

High temperatures make it more likely that fires will start, but drought conditions cause these fires to spread – parched vegetation with no moisture catches extremely easily. In the height of summer, large parts of the south of France are particularly at risk of wildfires.

This is far from a new phenomenon. It’s why there has always been a wildfire ‘season’ in the hottest months of the year and why wildfires are much less common – though not unheard of – in winter.

In October 1970, 11 people died in a wildfire near France’s far southeastern border with Italy and in 1985 an inferno in the same area killed five volunteer firefighters.

Deaths are more unusual today, thanks to improved techniques and technology, but the fires themselves are getting more common, bigger and occur over a wider geographical area.

Poor air quality resulting from wildfire smoke can be a serious health risk to those with respiratory conditions.

If you live in an area where wildfires are common, make sure you sign up to the government emergency text alert system so you get the latest advice on whether you need to evacuate. You can also keep track of the risk of wildfire in your area by checking the government’s forest fire map, which is updated daily.

And you have legal obligations, too, relating to keeping your property as clear as possible of fire hazards during key wildfire periods.

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