Unfortunately, this speech was not given by President Trump to America. Much as America can learn from the fast powerful responses by the nations of East Asia to COVID-19, now we can learn from Europe about presidential leadership. This is late, but in life now is better than later.
Address to the people of France
By the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron.
Given March 16. Excerpt; full text here. translated by Google.
Thursday evening, I spoke to you to discuss the health crisis in our country. Until then, the epidemic was perhaps for some a distant idea. It has become an immediate, pressing reality.
The Government has taken, as I told you, firm measures to curb the spread of the virus. Nurseries, schools, colleges, high schools, universities have been closed since that day. On Saturday evening, the restaurants and all the businesses not essential to the life of the Nation also closed their doors. Gatherings of more than 100 people have been banned. France had never had to take such decisions – obviously exceptional, obviously temporary – in times of Peace. They were taken with order, preparation, on the basis of scientific recommendations with a single objective: to protect us against the spread of the virus. …
But at the same time, even as the {medical} staff alerted us to the seriousness of the situation, we also saw people gather in parks, crowded markets, restaurants, bars that did not respect the closing instruction. As if life had not changed.
To all those who, adopting these behaviors, have defied the instructions, I want to say this evening very clearly: not only do you not protect yourself – and recent developments have shown that no one is invulnerable including the youngest – but you don’t protect others. Even if you have no symptoms, you can still spread the virus. Even if you have no symptoms, you may infect your friends, parents, grandparents, and endanger the health of your loved ones.
In the Great East, in Hauts-de-France, in Île-de-France, our caregivers fight to save lives, with dedication, with strength. At a time when the health situation is deteriorating sharply, when the pressure on our hospitals and our caregivers is increasing, all our commitment, all our energy, all our strength, must focus on a single objective: to slow the progression of the virus.
I will repeat it to you forcefully this evening: let us respect the barrier gestures, the health instructions. It is the only way to protect the vulnerable, to have fewer infected citizens and thus reduce the pressure on resuscitation services so that they can better receive and provide better care.
Without serious signs, let us contact our attending physician. Do not call the Samu and do not go to the hospital except in case of high fever, difficulty in breathing, otherwise they will not be able to cope with the wave of serious cases which is already looming in certain regions.
Let us demonstrate deep solidarity and a sense of responsibility. Each of us must at all costs limit the number of people with whom we are in contact each day. Scientists say it is the top priority. This is why, after having consulted, listened to the experts, the field and in conscience, I decided to further strengthen the measures to reduce our travel and our contacts to the bare essentials. From tomorrow noon and for at least 15 days, our trips will be greatly reduced.
This means that outside gatherings, family or friendly gatherings will no longer be allowed. Walking, meeting friends in the park, on the street, will no longer be possible. This is to limit as much as possible these contacts beyond the home. All over French territory, in mainland France and overseas, only the necessary journeys must remain, necessary to go shopping with discipline and putting distances of at least one meter, not shaking hands, not kissing, the journeys necessary to take care of themselves, obviously, the journeys necessary to go to work if remote work is not possible and the journeys necessary to do some physical activity but without finding, there again, friends or relatives.
All businesses must organize to facilitate remote work, and when this is not possible, they will have to adapt their organization tomorrow to enforce these barrier gestures against the virus, that is to protect their employees, or, when it comes to ‘independent, protect themselves. The Government will specify the modalities of these new rules this evening, after my speech. Any violation of these rules will be penalized. I tell you with great solemnity this evening, let’s listen to the caregivers, who tell us: if you want to help us, you must stay at home and limit contact. It is the most important. Obviously, this evening, I am laying down new rules, we are banning, there will be controls. But the best rule is that as a citizen, you apply yourself. …
My dear compatriots, I measure the impact of all these decisions on your lives. Giving up seeing your loved ones is a heartbreak; stopping your daily activities, your habits, it’s very difficult. This should not prevent us from keeping in touch, calling our loved ones, giving news, also organizing things with our neighbors, inventing new solidarity between generations, staying, as I told you last Thursday, deeply united and innovate there too on this point. I know I ask you to stay home. I also ask you to keep calm in this context. I have seen panic in all directions in recent hours. We must all have a spirit of responsibility. False information must not run wildly.
Staying at home, take care of loved ones who are in your apartment, in your house. Give news, take news. Read, also find this sense of the essential. I think that it is important in the moments that we live. Culture, education, meaning is important.
Avoid the spirit of panic, to believe in all the false rumors, the semi-experts or the false-knowing ones. The word is clear, the information is transparent and we will continue to give it. But believe me, this effort that I ask you, I know that it is new but the circumstances force us to do so. is important in the times we live in. Culture, education, meaning is important. And avoid the spirit of panic, to believe in all the false rumors, the semi-experts or the false-knowing ones. The word is clear, the information is transparent and we will continue to give it. …
Avoid the spirit of panic, to believe in all the false rumors, the semi-experts or the false-knowing ones. The word is clear, the information is transparent and we will continue to give it. But believe me, this effort that I ask you, I know that it is new but the circumstances force us to do so.
We are at war, in a health war, of course: we are not fighting against an army or against another Nation. But the enemy is there, invisible, elusive, advancing. And that requires our general mobilization.
We are at war. All the action of the Government and the Parliament must henceforth be turned towards the fight against the epidemic. Day and night, nothing should keep us entertained. This is why, I decided that all the reforms in progress would be suspended, starting with the pension reform. As of Tuesday, in the Council of Ministers, a bill will be presented allowing the government to respond to the emergency and, when necessary, to legislate by ordinances in the areas strictly pertaining to crisis management. This project will be submitted to Parliament on Thursday.
Earlier, I saw the Presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate so that these texts could be voted as quickly as possible, so that democratic life and the control of Parliament could continue during this period. I thank them and I thank all of our parliamentarians at this time.
We are at war. I call on all political, economic, social, associative actors, all French people to join this national union which has enabled our country to overcome so many crises in the past.
We are at war. The Nation will support its children who, caregivers in town, at the hospital, are on the front line in a fight that will require their energy, determination, solidarity. They have rights over us. We obviously owe them the means, the protection. We will be there. We owe them masks, gel, all the necessary equipment and we take care of it and will take care of it. We decided with the scientists to reserve the masks in priority for the hospital and for the medicine of town and country, in particular the general practitioners, the nurses from now on on the front line also in the management of the crisis. Masks will be delivered to pharmacies tomorrow evening in the 25 most affected departments. Wednesday for the rest of the national territory. I also heard the message from the specialists, especially dental surgeons and many others. Solutions will be found with the Minister of Health in the coming hours.
We also owe caregivers the care of their children: a minimum daycare service has been in place since that day in nurseries and schools. We also owe them serenity in their movements and rest. This is why I decided that, as of tomorrow, taxis and hotels could be mobilized for their benefit. The state will pay.
We are at war, yes. During this period, the country will support the regions most affected today as well as those that will be tomorrow. As such, I want to assure the inhabitants and the nursing staff of the Grand Est that we will be there to support them in the face of the influx of patients and the saturation of hospitals. I know what they have been going through for days and days, we are with them. I have therefore decided that a field hospital of the army health service will be deployed in the days to come in Alsace. The army will also help to move the sick from the most affected regions and thus reduce congestion in hospitals in certain territories.
We are at war. As I told you on Thursday, to protect us and contain the spread of the virus but also to preserve our healthcare systems, we made a joint decision between Europeans this morning. From noon tomorrow, the borders at the entrance to the European Union and the Schengen area will be closed. Concretely, all trips between non-European countries and the European Union will be suspended for 30 days. French women and men who are currently abroad and wish to return will of course be able to join their country.
We must make this decision because I am asking you for major efforts this evening and that we must protect ourselves over time. I want to say to all our compatriots who live abroad that there too, in good order, they must approach the embassies and consulates and that we will organize, for those who wish and where necessary, their repatriation. As you can see, you could sense that this unprecedented health crisis will have major human, social and economic consequences. It is also this challenge that we must take up.
I ask you for sacrifices to slow down the epidemic. They should never question aid to the most vulnerable, the sustainability of a business, the livelihoods of employees and the self-employed. For the most precarious, for the most deprived, for the isolated people, we will make sure, with the big associations, with also the local communities and their services, that they can be fed, protected, that the services that we owe them be insured.
For economic life, as far as France is concerned, no business, whatever its size, will be delivered to the risk of bankruptcy. No Frenchwoman, no Frenchman, will be left without resources.
In the case of companies, we are setting up an exceptional system for deferring tax and social charges, supporting the postponement of bank deadlines and State guarantees in the amount of 300 billion euros for all bank loans contracted with banks. For the smallest of them and as long as the situation lasts, those who face difficulties will have nothing to pay, neither for taxes nor for social security contributions. Water, gas or electricity bills and rents must be suspended.
In addition, so that no one is left without resources for employees, the partial unemployment system will be massively expanded, as I announced to you last Thursday and as the Government has started to specify. For entrepreneurs, traders, artisans, a solidarity fund will be created, funded by the State, and to which the Prime Minister will also propose to the regions to contribute. The Government, as of tomorrow, will specify all these measures. They will be based on needs, economic realities, needs sector by sector, obviously adapted. We will be there so that our economy is preserved in this difficult period and so that all workers can have this security also in terms of purchasing power, continuity of their lives.
My dear compatriots, France is going through a very difficult time. No one can predict precisely the duration. As the days follow the days, as the problems succeed the problems, it will be necessary, in connection with the lighting given by the scientists, of the field experiments, we will have to adapt. We will also continue, during this period, to work and progress on treatments.
I know the dedication of several teams throughout our territory with the first hopes that are emerging, and we will also continue to move forward on the vaccine. Regularly, I will address you. I will tell you each time, as I have done, as the Government does, the truth about the development of the situation.
I have a certainty: the faster we act together, the more we will overcome this ordeal. The more we act as citizens, the more we will show the same strength of soul, the same patriotic abnegation that our caregivers, our firefighters, all of the actors of civil security demonstrate today, the faster we will come out of this life in slow motion. We will get there, my dear compatriots, by being united. I ask you to be responsible all together and not to give in to any panic, to accept these constraints, to bear them, to explain them, to apply them to yourself, we will apply them all, there will not have a free pass, but, there too, to give in neither to panic, nor to disorder.
We will win, but this period will have taught us a lot. Many certainties and convictions will be called into question. Many things that we thought were impossible are happening. Let us not be impressed. Let us act with strength but remember this: the day after, when we have won, it will not be a return to the day before. We will be stronger morally, we will have learned and I will also know with you to draw all the consequences, all the consequences.
Let us rise individually and collectively to the height of the moment. I know my dear compatriots that I can count on you. Long live the Republic, long live France!
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Another nation we can learn from
East Asia showed us how to respond to an epidemic. Macron showed us presidential leadership. And Putin’s Russia shows us global leadership: “Russian army to send coronavirus help to Italy.”
Contrast Macron’s speech with that of NY Governor Cuomo, the first comment below. One spoke as a leader. The other as a bureaucratic manager. Both have their roles, but it seldom works well to have the latter instead of the former.
Posts about effects of COVID-19
- Hidden news about the epidemic sweeping across America! – Fake news drives out good news.
- Lessons from the coronavirus about climate change.
- A devastating epidemic spreads across America – An epidemic of panic and ignorance.
- Soon we’ll see if the US can defend itself again COVID-19.
- COVID-19 will hit the world economy hard. Here’s how.
- Seeing what went wrong can help us beat COVID-19.
- COVID-19 shows the new center of the world.
- Prepare now in case they close the stock market.
- The key to surviving the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Useful information amidst the flood of chaff & guesses about COVID-19.
It’s easy to follow the COVID-19 story
The World Health Organization provides daily information, from highly technical information to news for the general public. These are the best sources of information.
- There is their daily situation report, with detailed numbers.
- The Director-General of WHO gives frequent briefings, which are quite insightful.
- Their daily press briefings have more information. An audio goes up quickly afterwards. A transcript is posted the next day.
Also, see the wealth of information at the CDC website, especially their situation reports.
For More Information
Ideas! For some shopping ideas, see my recommended books and films at Amazon. Also, see a powerful and disturbing story about “Birth of a Man of Steel …for the Soviet Union.”
Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Also, see these posts about epidemics…
- See the ugly cost of the next big flu pandemic. We can do more to prepare.
- Stratfor: The superbugs are coming. We have time to prepare.
- Posts debunking the hysteria about the 2009 swine flu in America.
- Posts debunking the hysteria about the 2015 ebola epidemic in America.
- Important: A vaccine against the fears that make us weak.
A fictional president defeats a plague
In his 1994 novel Debt of Honor
“Therefore containment is the only option,” General Pickett went on.
“How do you contain a whole country?” said Cliff Rutledge, Assistant Secretary of State for Policy.
“That’s the problem we face,” President Ryan said. “The only way to contain the epidemic is to shut down all places of assembly – theaters, shopping malls, sports stadia, business offices, everything – and interstate travel. To the best of our information, at least 30 states are so far untouched by this disease. We would do well to keep it that way. We can accomplish that by preventing all interstate travel until such time as we have a handle on the severity of the disease we are facing, and then we can come up with less severe countermeasures.”
“Mr Presdient, that’s unconstitutional,” Pat Martin (representing DoJ) sid at once. Travel is a constitutionally protect right. … {But} Mr. President, I do not see that we have much of a choice here. …The Constitution is not a suicide pact.” …
“Thank you” Ryan said, checking his watch. “I am calling the issue on the table.”
Defense, Treasury, Justice, and Commerce voted aye. All the rest voted no. Ryan looked at them for a long few seconds. “The ayes have it,” the President said coldly. …This has absolute nad unconditional priority over any other matter.”
