What the deconfinement will allow from May 11

As Edouard Philippe made clear during his speech on Thursday, May 7, the easing of lockdown should not be a sign of a relaxation of our vigilance. We will therefore be entering a period of transition between confined life and full freedom starting Monday. This transition will apply to all departments, regardless of their color on the lockdown easing map, but the distinction between green and red may become more pronounced starting in June. In departments that remain green, we will be able to go further on June 2. In those that have not gone green, it will not be possible to go that far. Here's an update on what will change for the French in general and particularly for residents of the Hautes-Pyrénées.

Travel within 100 km will no longer require justification

You will no longer need a duly justified exemption certificate to leave your home. But Edouard Philippe announced that travel beyond a 100-kilometer radius from home must be justified by a compelling family or professional reason, with a new version of the Exceptional Travel Certificate. This may be for bereavement or to assist a vulnerable person. These 100 km will be calculated as the crow flies from the usual place of residence. I want to clarify, however, that this limit only applies if you are leaving your department of residence, the Prime Minister clarified. This restriction does not prevent you from enjoying the great outdoors and spending a few days in a real change of scenery, as the Hautes-Pyrénées and neighboring departments are full of sites to visit and cities to explore. See where to go within 100 km of Tarbes.

Gradual return of students to schools

Jean-Michel Blanquer has announced a gradual resumption of classes in primary and secondary schools. We have 80 to 85% of the 50,500 schools in France that have announced they will open next week. We will therefore have just over a million students returning to their classes and there will be around 130,000 teachers to welcome them. In the Hautes-Pyrénées, some towns like Soues have announced that schools will not open until May 11. For the others, May 11th will be dedicated to teachers' pre-back-to-school period, and students will return gradually starting the following day. Students in kindergarten, CP, and CM2 will be the first. Each class will be allowed a maximum of 15 students. Parents may, however, decide to keep their children home to continue distance learning. This back-to-school is not an ordinary start, explains Jean-Michel Blanquer, it's a resumption. Children will be able to find themselves in four situations: at school in small groups, in study, in after-school facilities (sports, health, civics), or at home in distance learning.

In departments marked green on the lockdown exit map, such as the Hautes-Pyrénées, middle schools will be able to begin operating from May 18th. High schools will have to wait until the end of May to find out if they can open in early June, starting with vocational high schools. Students like those at ENIT or IUT Tarbes will have to wait until next September to return to their institutions.

Resumption of activity

Commercial and economic activity will gradually resume. All businesses will be able to open except for social gatherings such as bars and restaurants. Shopping centers will also be able to reopen, but subject to the approval of the prefects to verify that all conditions are met for commercial activity to be compatible with social distancing measures. Interregional travel will gradually resume. At the national level, SNCF plans to increase the TGV and Intercités service from the current 7% to 20% on May 11, reaching 40% by the end of May. In Occitanie, the liO service will correspond to 50% of the usual transport plan, then 60% the following week. To enforce social distancing, every other seat on trains will be blocked off. But on certain lines, such as the coastal lines and the Toulouse Star, some trains will be doubled to increase capacity while maintaining good health conditions. Train service is expected to reach 90% to 100% capacity after May 25. Wearing a mask will be mandatory in stations for everyone aged 11 and over.

But nursing homes remain in lockdown

However, there will be no change for residents of nursing homes and medico-social facilities, who will have to remain indoors with the relaxations in the "Nursing Home Plan" unveiled by Edouard Philippe and Olivier Véran on April 25. Two requirements must be met: