Data on the outbreak in Europe on 3 April
France added 187 new deaths, with a cumulative total of 96,493 deaths;
The United Kingdom added 3423 new cases, with a cumulative total of 4357091 confirmed cases, 10 new deaths, and 126826 cumulative deaths;
Italy added 21,261 new cases, with a cumulative total of 3650247 confirmed cases, 376 new deaths, and 110704 cumulative deaths;
Germany added 20,348 new cases on the 2nd, with a cumulative total of 2865733 confirmed cases, 190 new deaths, and a cumulative death of 76,871 cases.
This weekend, France ushered in the Easter holiday. However, in order to contain the menacing third wave of the epidemic peak, France officially launched a new round of four-week "enhanced" epidemic prevention measures on Saturday (3rd) evening.
However, unlike the lockdowns in March and November last year, French President Emmanuel Macron made it clear that this "lockdown" allows people to leave their usual homes and go to the places they want to spend a four-week lockdown.
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, France's secretary of state for tourism, also said on BFM that the Easter holiday (April 3-5) allows people to travel across the region, but only if "they go out for 4 weeks or not."
The French national railways welcomed 600,000 passengers this weekend, half of which were train tickets ordered after President Macron announced on Wednesday night that he would lock down the city across France. That night, the French national railway website was paralyzed due to too many visits. The most sought-after destinations for train tickets are Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Marseille and Rennes.
Does easter mass travel increase the risk of contagion?
French Health Minister Verand said on Thursday (1st) that France is expected to usher in the third wave of the peak of the epidemic in the next 7 to 10 days. So, will the French government allow people to travel across regions at this juncture, triggering a new wave of infection?
In response, Benjamin Davido, an infectious disease specialist at the Raymond-poincaré Hospital in Haute-Garches, pointed out on the franceinfo program: "What increases the risk of infection is not simply 'fleeing' from Paris to the provinces, but the back-and-forth movement of people." ”
▲ Because of the fear that Parisians will bring the new crown virus to the provinces, the people of the provinces are not so welcoming to parisians. Last spring, someone in Brittany poked through the tires of more than a dozen cars with foreign license plates overnight. (Screenshot of the 20 Minutes report)
Davido explained that the current variant of the new coronavirus circulating in various regions of France is different, for example, in the Brittany region, South Africa has accounted for 50% of confirmed cases, and the movement of people across the major regions will objectively provide more "opportunities" for the mixing of different mutated strains.
However, Davido also reassured that in fact, if people "fled" from big cities to other provinces and survived the 4-week lockdown period safely, this would not only not increase the risk of infection, but would reduce the spread of the virus due to excessive population density.
Remote workers feel "poetry and far away" abroad
In fact, in addition to the people who "fled" Paris, there are also some French people who simply "fled" to foreign countries because they could not stand the epidemic prevention measures that lasted for more than a year.
In the Spanish Canary Islands, remote white-collar workers from all over Europe camp out and enjoy the sunshine, the 30-degree spring, palm trees and beautiful beaches. What's even better is that the incidence on the island is only 60 per 100,000 inhabitants, six times less than in France.
People eat and drink on the terraces and enjoy the free winds of nature: at present, about 5,000 to 10,000 foreign remote workers are temporarily staying in the Canary Islands, including an increasing number of French.
▲ View of the sandy beach of Gran Canaria, Spain. (Screenshot of Franceinfo report)
"This is paradise!"
Jean, an IT project manager in his thirties, is one of the remote workers who live temporarily in the Canary Islands. After the video conference, Jean, wearing a shirt and flip-flops, was interviewed by the French media by the pool.
Arriving here in January, Jean quickly realized that the working conditions on the island "simply couldn't have been better":
In Paris, it might take me three hours to complete a mission. Here, it took me ten minutes to get it done because I know there are a lot of good things waiting for me! Here, the gymnasium is open and the restaurant is downstairs. Last Tuesday, I went to see the opera... It's paradise!
He's used to working outdoors: "I'm sitting on a deck chair facing the sea, replying to work emails."
(giphy)
Of course, with the outbreak of the third wave in European countries, the rules on the island have also been tightened: the curfew is set at 10 pm, and bars and restaurants are only open on the terrace.
In addition to the excellent natural environment, the hardware conditions of life on the island are also very desirable: there is a supporting medical system, the currency is the euro, the time difference from Paris is only one hour, and the cost of living is also very reasonable.
Lyra, who arrived on the island in December last year, told Franceinfo that a room by the sea usually costs 800-1,000 euros a month, but she bargained for 400 euros. In addition, the restaurants and France are much better value for money.
Outside of work, these remote staff can work out or do yoga on the beach in the morning, hike or surf on the weekend...
"We've grown by 10 percent every month since last summer," said Nacho Rodriguez, who manages office space and shared apartments on the island, "and we have three shared apartments that have been full since last September." Most remote workers are highly paid workers in the knowledge field. They are obviously very valuable customers. ”
Employers are kept in the dark
Still, Jean confessed that the company didn't know he had run to this paradise island: "Like many other companies, for many reasons, our company is not allowed to work remotely abroad, so I only vaguely say that I am in the South." ”
In this case, some remote workers even use special lighting/filters to hide their tanned healthy skin tone, franceinfo said.
Mexico, Thailand... The ends of the earth are at my disposal
Who would have thought that the unspeakable epidemic would become a great opportunity for some people to enjoy life. French media reported that the Spanish Canary Islands are not the only destinations favored by remote workers, with the Portuguese Madeira Islands, Barbados in the Caribbean, and even Thailand and Indonesia in Southeast Asia.
These remote workers are clearly a boon to the locals: they will not compete with the locals for jobs and help the locals overcome the losses caused by the epidemic, but rather like long-term stable "financiers". This is why Barbados, Costa Rica and other places are still busy providing one-year, two-year visas for remote workers to retain these wealthy customers for a longer period of time.
Claire and Marius, marketing practitioners in their 30s, persuaded the boss that "remote work is feasible." They are currently staying in a hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and they are even happier that they "don't want to go back to the French office to commute in the future."
Laure Maumus, a Parisian who works remotely in Thailand, tells about his happy life on the island: "I have never had the opportunity to get so close to nature as I have lived in a big city, and now I fall asleep every night with the sound of the waves, which is like paradise!" (Screenshot of france24 report)
Justine Roy, 24, who started working as an independent consultant for "cyber influence" last summer, now works remotely in Bali: "If it weren't for the outbreak, I would probably have stayed in France forever. ”
Denis Muniglia, an insurance company employee in his 40s, sees remoteness as a "godsend" and works in Bulgaria and Malta, respectively.
Arnaud Wilbrod, 35, enjoys "open bars and restaurants" in Estonia while continuing his work as a digital content editor.
▲ Sophie vaxelaire gave up her job as a consultant in Paris with a monthly salary of 3500 euros at the outbreak of the new crown epidemic last year and came to Thailand to do paid video courses on yoga and meditation. (Screenshot of france24 report)
Portugal's Madeira Archipelago has also created Europe's first remote working village, and the local government intends to "promote the Madeira Archipelago to become one of the best remote working locations in the world". The picturesque coastal city of Ponta do Sol has also built a co-working space and a series of residences, with 3,800 people already applying to join.
Telecommuting abroad is risky
Having said all that, let's take a look at the "dark side" of remote abroad:
In fact, for French employees to work remotely abroad, they must obtain the consent of their employers, who have the right to fire employees.
While there is no legal provision preventing employees from working remotely abroad, nor does the French Labour Code address this issue, lawyer Mathilde Gaupillat explains that "(this) must be authorized by the employer" and "a telework agreement must be issued in accordance with specific terms (defining the time and place)".
Even under remote working conditions, employees must obey employer arrangements. However, working abroad can bring greater risks. If an employee, without the employer's knowledge, poses a risk that the latter cannot bear, he or she violates his or her security obligations and "may even be dismissed."
In addition, even if an agreement is reached with the employer, safety and cost are important considerations.
First, remote costs abroad can be expensive, and the relevant provisions of the French Labour Code indicate that employers must bear the professional costs of their employees. If a workplace must be set up on site, the employer must ensure that it meets the conditions in terms of health and safety.
Similarly, if the employee must travel, then legally the employer is responsible for paying these costs. The same is true if the employer requires its employees to return home early due to an emergency or other business need.
What's more, when it comes to health issues, the trouble is even greater: abroad, the mechanisms for sick leave and work accidents may be different: "If social security does not cover all costs, the balance should be paid by the employer, but the employer's insurance does not necessarily cover the scope of the foreign business." ”
(European Times/ Yasuki compiled report)
Edit: Beans
(The article is from the European Times WeChat public account: Ou Shi Da Ginseng oushi 1983)