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HEALTH

Calendar: Which Covid restrictions on sports are lifted when in France?

As France began to gradually ease its partial lockdown on Monday, some rules restricting physical activities disappeared. But gyms and sports stadiums have to wait a bit longer before welcoming visitors back.

Published: 3 May 2021 13:19 CEST
Calendar: Which Covid restrictions on sports are lifted when in France?
The dreaded 1km-limit never made a comeback during the third lockdown in France imposed this spring, and joggers have been able to run freely within a 10km-limit from their home. Photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP

The phased easing of partial lockdown measures in France offered hope for gyms and sports clubs, which had to shut down last autumn as part of restrictive measures aimed at reducing the country’s rising Covid-19 rates.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is approaching,” the French sports minister, Roxana Maracineaunu, said in a tweet on Sunday, where she laid out which limits on exercise would disappear the following day.

President Emmanuel Macron presented the plan to reopen the country last week. It will be a gradual process containing four stages, with the option to delay if the health situation deteriorates. 

IN DETAIL: France’s calendar for reopening after lockdown

These are the dates to look out for in relation to sports and leisure activities:

Phase 1: May 3rd

Whereas during the first and second lockdowns in 2020, runners, cyclists and other sports enthusiasts had to contain their practice within 1 kilometre of their home, the partial lockdown in April 2021 allowed free movement up to 10 kilometres when practising individual sports (30 kilometres for club sports).

The government also let outdoor group sports outside go ahead, as long as participants respected social distancing and other health rules. Practising yoga in groups in the park or playing tennis or golf therefore remained possible throughout the partial lockdown in April.

On May 3rd the 10 kilometre-limit on non-essential outings disappeared, effectively ending geographical restrictions on individual sporting activities during daytime.

The nighttime curfew remained in place. All sporting activities were still be banned between 7pm and 6am (except walking the dog or other pets, within 1km of home).

In schools, sport activities resumed both indoors and outdoors, following a rescheduled holiday period and additional long distance-schooling for some groups enforced to reduce spread of the virus.

Rules on outdoor practices of groups sports remained unchanged. The rules, updated on April 8th, allowed for groups of up to six people participating at the same time, while keeping a 2 metre-distance between themselves. This rules out contact sports but would allow, for example, pétanque as long as people are sufficiently distanced.

Phase 2: May 19th 

If the health situation permits, the nighttime curfew will be pushed back to 9pm (from 7pm currently), which means it will be possible to go for a run, walk, bike ride or other until that time.

Sports stadiums will be allowed to reopen, though under strict health rules and with limits on participants (800 for open-air stadiums and 1,000 for covered ones).

Gyms and swimming pools can also reopen to children – at present under 18s can only access gyms and pools as part of a school sports lesson or organised school outing. They will remain closed for adults, with the exception of those who have been medically prescribed exercise.

Phase 3: June 9th 

If the health situation allows, the curfew will be postponed to 11pm.

Gyms will be able to reopen for adults following eight months of closures, although with limits on the number of people allowed at the same time and with strict health protocols in place. It might be done on a local basis if case numbers remain high in certain areas.

Swimming pools can also reopen to the general public on this date, again with extra health rules and restrictions on user numbers in place.

In his interview last week, President Macron said the coming pass sanitaire (health pass), which will be a proof of vaccine or a recent negative Covid test, was unlikely to become a requirement to enter establishments that regularly receive the public, such as bars, restaurants and cinemas, but also gyms.

Full details on France’s plans for a health pass HERE.

Contact sports will be allowed, which includes team sports such as rugby and football (although judging by the scenes in parks, most people seem unaware that these sports were banned for the general public).

Cultural or sporting events with up to 5,000 people will be allowed, but on the condition that participants provide a health pass proving that recently tested negative for Covid-19 or have been vaccinated for the virus.

Phase 4: June 30th

The curfew ends.

The limits on establishments receiving public – such as gyms – will disappear, but this depends on the health situation at that time and the government may decide to do this on a local basis.

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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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