France government

                      Government background

France is a republic with a strong national government. Its present government, called the Fifth Republic, has been in effect since 1958. The First Republic was established in 1792. Between 1792 and 1958, the structure of the French government changed a number of times.France's national government has three branches. They are (1) an executive branch headed by a president and a prime minister, (2) a legislative branch consisting of a two-chamber Parliament, and (3) a judicial branch, or system of courts.France's Parliament consists of two houses, the National Assembly and the Senate. The National Assembly consists of 577 deputies, who are elected by the voters for five-year terms, unless an election is called earlier. The president has the power to dissolve the National Assembly and call for new elections. The Senate has 348 members. Senators are elected to six-year terms by regional and city electoral colleges.

                       Government Response to Covid-19

In an effort to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus Covid-19 (“Covid-19”), on March 14, 2020 the French government mandated a shut-down of non-essential businesses and other venues open to the public. Businesses were authorized to continue their online activities and related deliveries.The shut-down ended on May 11, 2020. Among the businesses concerned were retail stores, shopping centers, and restaurants. Businesses were authorized to continue their online activities and related deliveries. The shut-down did not impact businesses that are considered “essential to the life of the nation”, such as food shops, drugstores, banks, and gas stations (the list is much longer) 

 Citations

Kesselman, Mark. "France." World Book Student, World Book, 2020,

www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar208640. Accessed 7 Dec. 2020.

Kesselman, M 2020, 'France' , World Book Student, World Book, Chicago, viewed 7 December 2020,

<https://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar208640>

proscauer, April 8, 2020.Corona virous insight, Updated as of May 20, 2020. https://www.proskauer.com/alert/the-french-government-response-to-the-covid-19-highlights-of-measures-taken#:~:text=In%20an%20effort%20to%20halt,venues%20open%20to%20the%20public.&text=Businesses%20were%20authorized%20to%20continue%20their%20online%20activities%20and%20related%20deliveries.