11 may 2020: phased easing-out plan begins

Gradual deconfinement by region

A first phase will run from 11 May to 2 June with the gradual opening of certain establishments or places welcoming the public. If there is no return of the epidemic, a second phase will be implemented until summer.

Depending on the health situation, the deconfinement plan is not the same in all French departments and regions.

A map of red and green departments

Departments are classified as green or red based on their health status, which is determined in particular by the number of emergency room visits for suspected COVID-19 illness, the rate of occupancy of resuscitation beds by patients affected and the capacity to carry out virological tests.

For example, some departments in green that have been little affected by the epidemic can lift the lockdown as of May 11, while deconfinement will be more regulated in red departments with a high rate of virus circulation.

The map of these departments is updated daily with data from Santé publique France. Of the three criteria used to classify departments (virus circulation rate, hospital capacity for resuscitation, local capacity for testing for carriers of the virus), only one non-validated can keep the department red.

The regions currently in red are Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Grand-Est and Mayotte.

Screening tests and isolation of virus carriers

In order to isolate COVID-19 carriers and contain the outbreak, massive testing (700,000 tests per week from 11 May) will be carried out on people with symptoms of the coronavirus but also on anyone who has been in contact with people who have tested positive. These virologic tests will be supported at 100% by Health Insurance.

Individuals who test positive for PCR (nasopharyngeal swabs) will need to isolate to break the chain of transmission. They will be able to choose between strict confinement at home or in a hotel made available to them.