Many companies are wondering about the modalities of deconfinement, whose date was set for May 11th, 2020 by Emmanuel Macron, during his speech Monday.
Travel again, but covered. While a deconfinement will be gradually implemented from May 11th, 2020, according to announcements by Emmanuel Macron on Monday, many companies are wondering about the terms of the return to normal.
Among them, the French National Railway Company (SNCF). The latter has already warned those who intend to resume the train after May 11th that health precautions must imperatively be observed. In particular the wearing of the compulsory mask.
@Senat devant la commission Aménagement du territoire et DevDur @JPFarandou président de @GroupeSNCF suggère de rendre obligatoire le port du masque par les voyageurs dans les trains, à l’issue du confinement #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/PysrkSuwJO
— Herve Maurey (@HMaurey) April 15, 2020
Read also: Coronavirus: “general public” masks distributed from May 11 “to all French people”
Hydroalcoholic gel on trains
During a hearing in the Senate, this Wednesday, April 15, 2020, Jean-Pierre Farandou, the boss of the SNCF recognized that this measure should make it possible to lift some rules of social distancing in trains, where they are more than complicated to implement. What is more, if travellers suddenly flock after deconfinement. The SNCF boss estimates that rail traffic should resume gradually by the summer.
“In Île-de-France, if we impose a meter or a meter and a half between each passenger, with 100% of the trains we only transport 20% of what we usually transport. So it doesn’t work!”
In addition to reinforced cleaning in the wagons, Jean-Pierre Farandou indicated that travellers should have, as far as possible, hydroalcoholic gel on board and at the station, as well as points in stations to wash their hands. The distribution of gel during the trip would also be something to consider, specifies Public Sénat .
Towards mandatory wearing of masks in public transport?
During his hearing in the Senate on Wednesday, Jan-Pierre Faroudou launched another appeal, this time addressed to the public authorities. Their help remains essential to limit the risks of congestion in public transport from the start of confinement.
He also pleaded for the wearing of the mask to be made compulsory in all public transport. But beware, he warned, “the SNCF will not take on its shoulders the distribution of masks to the entire French population”.
“It is up to us to demonstrate that taking the train is not a danger to his personal health. We are going to put the package on it, it is vital for us.”
After three months of strike action against the pension reform, which cost them nearly a billion euros, the SNCF expects further significant losses with the health crisis. In a message to railroad workers, Tuesday 14th April, Jean-Pierre Farandou thus acknowledged that his business was going to “experience a major shock”.
