PANDEMIC: RETURN TO THE PAST OR WINDOW INTO THE FUTURE?

The article analyzes political, social, economic and cultural consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for French society. The national strategies of the state management of the sanitary crisis that have developed in the world are investigated: the strategy of "zero tolerance to coronavirus"; the strategy of free circulation of the virus; the strategy determined by the formula "stop and go". France, like many other Western countries, chose the last one, which implied a combination of harsh measures (lockdown, self-isolation, mandatory vaccination, introduction of sanitary passes) with relaxation caused by the demands of business and society. The increased role of the State in the fight against the pandemic is revealed. The political context of the pandemic crisis settlement is revealed: centralization of power; tight control of the head of state over the activities of the Cabinet of Ministers; dominance of political power over the professional medical community; reduction of the parliament's role. It is shown that under conditions of the sanitary crisis, the process of informatization of production and services accelerated, significant shifts occurred in the labor market, and there was an increase in social and socio-spatial inequality. The problem of the middle class, which continues to fragment, is acute. The pandemic and especially the methods of combating it caused a protest in French society: the French did not just express disbelief in the effectiveness of the vaccine, with their speeches they demonstrated distrust of the authorities and state institutions. The pandemic has shown that France is in dire need of a new social compromise that would take into account not only the interests of global corporations, but also people who have remained beyond the threshold of the information economy. The issue of reviewing the lowest salaries and raising the status of a number of professions is acute.