Crowds, curfew breaks, private parties … Darmanin calls for “firmness” for Easter

The Minister of the Interior sent the prefects and police a telegram telling them the procedure to follow for this first reconfigured weekend. He calls for the greatest firmness.

Extension of restrictions to the entire metropolis, limited travel: Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday evening a new turn of the screw in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic.

“The rules which are in force in the 19 departments in enhanced vigilance (…) will be extended to the entire metropolitan territory this Saturday evening and for 4 weeks”, announced the president.

Tolerance until Monday evening

These measures include the closure of certain businesses and the ban on travel more than 10 km, except under certain conditions allowing to go up to 30 km from home. The curfew at 7 p.m. is maintained.

“Whoever wishes to change region to go isolate themselves can do so during this Easter weekend,” assured Emmanuel Macron.

This tolerance “ends Monday evening”, then specified the Ministry of the Interior which sent its instructions to the prefects and the police in a telegram that BFMTV was able to consult. Gérald Darmanin therefore asks them to be particularly attentive to groups of more than six people on public roads.

“Firmness in the sanction”

To do this, he urges them, for example, to take “orders prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to be consumed on the spot and alcohol consumption on the public highway” or to “prohibit any demonstration on the public highway”.

The Minister calls for the greatest “firmness in the sanction of particularly irresponsible behavior” and asks to “systematically verbalize particularly irresponsible behavior”, aiming in turn at “unjustified breaks in the curfew” or even “private parties” .

He specifies that the hosts of these private festivities will have to be prosecuted for “endangering the life of others”, an offense punishable by one year of imprisonment and a fine of 15,000 euros.

Vigilance on the risk of attack

In addition to the recommendations related to the health situation, Gérald Darmanin recalls that the terrorist threat remains high in France, especially on this Easter weekend, a Catholic religious holiday.

The authorities must therefore ensure the implementation of “systematic vigilance measures in places of worship”.