Which departments in France are low risk for coronavirus?
Reader question: I see a lot of news about France’s high alert zones, but I want to know which areas of the country are the safest to visit?
The French government recently introduced a new five-tiered alert system that separates departments into different zones, depending on how badly they are affected by coronavirus.
The five zones are:
- Green zone (zone verte)
- Alert zone (zone alerte)
- Heightened alert zone (zone alerte renforcée)
- Maximum alert zone (zone Alerte maximale)
- State of health emergency (état d’urgence sanitaire territorial)
There are currently 32 departments in the green zone.
These are departments where less than 50 people per 100,000 inhabitants have tested positive for coronavirus over a period of seven days.
“The virus is circulating, but at a moderate level,” France’s health ministry notes.
32 green zone departments
Aisne - Laon
Allier - Moulins
Hautes-Alpes - Gap
Ardèche - Privas
Ardennes - Charleville-Mézières
Aube - Troyes
Cantal - Aurillac
Charente-Maritime - La Rochelle
Cher - Bourges
Corrèze -Tulle
Côtes-d'Armor - Saint-Brieuc
Creuse - Guéret
Dordogne - Périgueux
Eure-et-Loir - Chartres
Finistère - Quimper
Indre - Châteauroux
Jura - Lons-le-Saunier
Loir-et-Cher - Blois
Lot - Cahors
Lot-et-Garonne - Agen
Manche - Saint-Lô
Mayenne - Laval
Meuse - Bar-le-Duc
Moselle - Metz
Orne - Alençon
Haut-Rhin - Colmar
Haute-Saône - Vesoul
Haute-Savoie - Annecy
Deux-Sèvres - Niort
Vendée - La Roche-sur-Yon
Vosges - Épinal
Yonne - Auxerre
A total of 71 departments are classified in the next alert level up, the alert zone. These are departments where more than 50 people per 100,000 inhabitants test positive for the virus over a period of seven days, but circulation of the virus among the elderly remains low and there is no strong impact on intensive care facilities.
To find out which zone your department is in you should check with your local prefecture. Each department in France has different measures and restrictions related to controlling the spread of coronavirus.
Decisions on alert levels are to be announced every week.
Read more about coronavirus in France:
Anger in Marseille as bars and restaurants ordered to close
Can I go to the gym or sports centre in my French town?
Covid-19: Paris bars and restaurants risk closure
Why a second national lockdown in France can't be ruled out
