The Paris police chief, Laurent Nuñez, told AFP on Tuesday that he had expanded the possibilities of obtaining passes in areas where automobile traffic is prohibited this summer during the Paris Olympic Games, after a first series of consultations. “We have opened up the field of possibilities in terms of exemptions to stick as closely as possible to the reality of life, personal and professional, and to not paralyze people’s activity while respecting safety rules,” underlined Laurent Nuñez in an interview with AFP.
In particular, it will now be possible to enter with a vehicle in a red perimeter (prohibited to automobile traffic) to provide essential care, deliver meals to vulnerable people, make a move that cannot be postponed, deliveries to businesses or ensure social marauding. Taxis and VTCs will also be able to pick up or drop off a local resident.
For all these exemptions, it will be necessary to register on an online platform and provide the necessary supporting documents to have the obligatory pass. “Emergency cases are exempt from requesting a certificate,” said Laurent Nuñez, who continues the consultations launched after a first presentation of the security perimeters at the end of November.
Four security perimeters have been established around competition venues during the Olympic (July 26 – August 11) and Paralympic (August 28 – September 8) Games. A gray perimeter (competition venues) is reserved for ticketed spectators and accredited spectators and a Silt perimeter (anti-terrorist protection) established as close as possible to the competition venues where people are searched and screened.
Another perimeter, red, will prohibit automobile traffic (except for exceptions). A blue perimeter will prevent motorized vehicles from passing through but will remain accessible to those who go there to work, return home or go to a business. The blue and red perimeters are vehicle traffic perimeters. On foot, there is no ban. “We have made some moves,” said the prefect, while finding a “balance between preserving a more or less normal life for people and the imperatives of security”. “It’s not completely validated. It is by us but I am waiting for the return of the City, of the elected officials but roughly speaking, we have not had any comments,” he clarified. The results of the consultations and the final traffic perimeters will be revealed at the end of February.
