The current coronavirus measures in France are very restrictive: In addition to a strict curfew, residents must carry an attestation if they want to travel more than ten kilometres away from their home. It therefore comes as no surprise that a number of locals decided to go on a trip to Luxembourg, where bars and restaurants have been able to open their terraces as of 7 April.
However, this may very well have been one of the reasons behind the Moselle police force's decision to carry out a check at the Franco-Luxembourg border on Saturday 10 April, the start of the school holidays in France. The announced objective was obviously to strictly enforce the measures in order to reduce the circulation of the virus and thus reduce the pressure on French hospitals. The police check had in fact been announced beforehand.
Cars were flagged towards exit 44 on the A31, at the Kanfen roundabout, in the direction of Luxembourg.
Laurent Touvet, Prefect of the Moselle department, took part in the operation at the French-Luxembourg border alongside Divisional Commissioner Pierre Bordereau, Zonal Border Police Directorate, and General Eric Matyn, Commander of the Moselle Gendarmerie Group, with the assistance of the Republican Motorway Security Company. In all, some 45 officials were mobilised.
Over the course of the operation, 1,300 vehicles were checked, and 17 people were fined for not being able to present a travel attestation.
While some were aware of the regulations in place since 3 April and had a certificate justifying a trip or a purchase of basic necessities, others could only bitterly bear witness to the risks incurred if the measures were not respected:
