Driving under curfew

Cars / Motoring / Insurance
1

I have had to return to the UK for some essential work and have booked my return home for December 28th to avoid any (shall we say) unpleasantness…

I’m coming back on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry, which arrives at 04:00, so even with DFDS’s slowest unloading, I could be out of the port by 05:00.

But the curfew is in place until 06:00. Does anyone know how one should proceed? Wait in the dock until 06:00? Drive on and damn the consequences?

I emailed DFDS for their official advice about a week ago but no reply, so I thought I’d appeal to the collective wisdom of Survive France.

2

I suspect there will be an Attestation (something like that) which will be needed, possibly with backup stuff.

The curfew is meant to be strictly controlled, but there will always be folk who really do have to be out during those hours.

I’ll ask at the Mairie when I go down later today… (with my attestation in my pocket)

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The new attestation will be released next week on the gouvernment website, just fill it out (easiest on your phone) before you leave the port :wink:

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Great - thank you Andrew and Stella.

5

My understanding was that a ticket for the booking would be sufficient justification to support the new attestation that Andrew mentions.

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Yep, my understanding too: new attestation AND proof to back up your reason for travel. :wink:
For me it’ll be my 5h30 tobacco delivery :open_mouth:

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Youngest daughter works in a pharmacie which doesn’t close until 8 pm, she’s now going to have to do an attestation every night just to go home, bonkers.

8

Are you sure there isn’t one that is just for this “work-related” situation…

I know there are special Attestations at the moment which cover week/month/whatever… not sure if it is the Employer who arranges it… something like that, anyway.

Our Mairie certainly issued them/arranged them for their workforce…

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I’m sure there is Stella but why start the curfew earlier this time when places like pharmacies and supermarkets are just closing, daughter works next door to a big Leclerc which closes at 8.30 pm so you’ll have maybe 150 people leaving work just in one street that need an attestation and could be controlled.

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Trying to stop the increase in covid… is what this is all about… folk are supposed to be in their own homes by curfew… thus minimum (staff etc) will be out…

Too many folk ignored the previous stuff… and even now, many folk are talking about ignoring these new limits/restrictions …

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If the curfew had been maintained at 9 pm then most of the staff would have been home. :wink:

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If most folk followed the rules already in place… there might well have been no need to harden the situation …

sadly, too many folk will “misunderstand” almost anything, in order that they can continue to do what they want to do…

Having the majority of the population in their own home by 8pm should make a difference (covidwise) for the better.

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13

Don’t understand the logic there. Given that restaurants, cafes, theatres and cinema plus all other places of entertainment are shut - why would people be out after 8 or 9 anyway ? Since most French supermarkets are closed by then they wouldn’t be out shopping.

14

It isn’t only shopping… that takes folk outdoors…

but of course, seeing the crowds at the hypermarkets etc… for a lot of folk it is the shopping… and then taking the lazy way home… driving by a friend’s house, to call out hello… etc etc…

for many folk, shopping is a way to meet up with friends/whoever…

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I think it’s a big mistake starting a curfew when shops etc are still legitimately open and then tell the police to strictly control the measure, the extra hour of curfew is not going to make any difference to the infection rate which in my Dept is close to zero anyway.

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Most shops will change their hours and go back to the normal time of 19h00. And yes, we already have attestations professionnelles so don’t have to fill out a new one each time we travel. As for why, it’s to clamps down further because as things are, it’s as if we haven’t been confined since the last change. I see some clients several times a day in the shop and some “gratteurs” spend their day going from tabac to tabac scratching their scratchcards all day long, no confinement, no attestation.

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The businesses I mentioned have not extended their opening/closing hours, all our local supermarkets close at either 8 or 8.30 and always have done. I don’t have an issue with a curfew and think it should have been brought in earlier, it’s just the time it starts in the evening that doesn’t make sense.

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I rang the French freephone advice line earlier who said that I am allowed to go to a hotel if I show the DFDS ferry ticket.
At first he even said that as I have a long journey to get to my house that would be a good reason to travel at night. However he backtracked by saying it would be better to take a hotel for the night in case the police didnt agree.
A toll-free hotline service (French only) can answer your questions about COVID-19 non-stop, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 0 800 130 000 (from abroad: +33 800 130 000, depending on your operator). …See https://www.gouvernement.fr/en/coronavirus-covid-19 for full info in English

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That’s interesting, Paddy. Which advice line was that - it sounds like one I need to know about!

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I ve added that to my post now Brian. Let us know what they say please if you call them, to see if the advice is the same