Spring arrives in Paris, along with another Covid-19 blockade

This blockade is less severe than the initial one that paralyzed France a year ago. It is limited to Paris and 15 other areas of France, which have been severely affected by the spread of Covid-19 variants. Parisians are allowed to venture 10 kilometers from their homes with a permit, unlike last year, when the limit was one kilometer.

But France’s third blockade is probably the most demoralizing. The country looked abroad with envy, as vaccines were developed in record time and carried out at such a rapid pace in the US and the UK that France began to wonder if it too was on the brink of economic renewal.

Instead, the cafés and bistros of Paris are closed indefinitely. Louvre is sealed. The Eiffel Tower is deserted. And the vaccine line is very long.

“My sister lives in New York – she was vaccinated and she’s younger than me,” said Cyril Dunn, a 54-year-old craftsman. “There are still vulnerable people in France who have not been vaccinated. I know 85-year-old boys still waiting for a date. ”

The management of the crisis by President Emmanuel Macron has been particularly troublesome for many French people. The former investment banker was firm in his adherence to the European Union’s decision to collectively procure the vaccine – an approach that led to vaccine deficiencies across France and the rest of the continent. As of Friday, only 8% of the French population had received a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine and only 3% had been completely vaccinated.

Mr Macron also fueled skepticism over a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca PLC, which many European health authorities consider crucial for the return of the pandemic.

In late January, Mr Macron told a group of reporters that the vaccine was almost ineffective for people over the age of 65, without providing evidence to support his claim. His government then reversed the course in early March – releasing it for use in the elderly – only to suspend vaccine use this week, following reports that people who received it in other parts of Europe have developed rare blood clots, and some died.

On Thursday, Macron’s Prime Minister Jean Castex said the country would resume using the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Union’s health agency said it was safe and effective and did not increase the risk of blood clots. Mr Castex received the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday to strengthen the government’s message.

The zigzag has deepened confusion in a country that has a history of vaccine hesitation.

“I don’t understand why they stopped,” said Eric Vigor, a 52-year-old banker. “If I could be vaccinated, I would do it right away – and with AstraZeneca.”

Jean Benmussa, a 74-year-old pensioner living in the suburbs of Saint-Mandé just east of Paris, said millions of people who had already received the vaccines convinced him the shots were safe, not the government.

“It simply came to our notice then. The whole management of the pandemic was stupid, “he said.

Frustrations are particularly high with regard to Mr Macron’s approach to the latest deadlock. He rejected calls from city officials to close Paris in the dead of winter, when the weather was cold as ice and variants of the virus began to spread across the country.

Now, the hospital system in Paris is one step away, forcing the authorities to transfer patients to areas with fewer cases. Nationally, intensive care units are 83% full.

While waiting for spring to impose the blockade, Mr Macron also delayed the possibility of reopening France’s economy. French officials said they expected the blockade to reduce France’s gross domestic product by 0.2% this year.

This is a bitter pill for companies across the country that have been closed since November. When France came out of the second blockade in mid-December, Mr Macron stipulated that restaurants and bars would remain closed to reduce social contact. The same rule applied to museums, concert halls and other places where people gather.

“What matters most to the economy is the lack of progress in lifting the restrictions,” said Andrew Kenningham, chief European economist at Capital Economics, who had expected a significant increase in France’s economic output in the second quarter. “We anticipate that, by now, governments will prepare to ease the restrictions or even do so.”

For now, Parisians are learning to reduce their spring enthusiasm. Earlier this month, Parisians gathered on the banks of the Seine, amid warm weather. The national police force, which reports to the central government, responded by sending columns of police officers along the river to remove them.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the operation was shocking, adding that the government had acted without informing her in advance.

“You can intervene when people do not distance themselves socially or when they drink without masks. But the scenes I saw were not like that “, said Mrs. Hidalgo. “There were a lot of parents with prams, people going for walks.”

Write to Stacy Meichtry at [email protected] and Matthew Dalton at [email protected]