Here in France we’re confined since midday on Tuesday. At the end of last week the government introduced a series of softer measures – closing schools and non-food shops etc. – in an attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19 but the rising number of cases and scenes of people enjoying the sunshine in huge numbers on Sunday as if nothing was wrong in the world led to further, much more severe restrictions being announced by President Macron on Monday evening.
Since Tuesday there are only five valid reasons for being outside of our homes:
- Going to and from work, for those who have to go to work (a letter from the employer justifying this is required)
- Shopping for foodstuffs and basic necessities
- Essential healthcare (for example, non-emergency dentistry is not a valid reason)
- Taking care of vulnerable people (housebound/handicapped/elderly etc.) and unavoidable family reasons (the typical example being the shuttling of children between separated parents with shared custody)
- Leg-stretching and dog-walking in the immediate vicinity of one’s home
Every time we go out we have to fill in and carry with us a form justifying our being outside. The police are on the streets, on the roads and at motorway toll booths checking why people are moving around. If you don’t have your form or your presence outside is unjustified (for example if you are too far from home for what you are claiming to be doing) you can be fined 135 € (rising to 375 € if you don’t pay promptly).
Just to make this clearer, here are some typical routine activities that are currently prohibited:
- Seeing your boy/girlfriend if you don’t live together
- Going round to a friend’s house for a beer
- Visiting your neighbour (unless they are vulnerable and need help)
- Visiting people in hospital, in prison and in retirement and nursing homes
- Escaping to to your second home, your parents’ house etc.
- Going to a funeral
- Getting married
- Moving home (a number of people seem to consider this a perfectly reasonable thing to do at the moment)
- Going on holiday
- Going for a walk in the park (most parks are closed anyway)
- Having a kick-about with your mates
Generally people seem to be respecting the rules and the streets are pretty much empty with a few exceptions. One thing that struck me right away was a sudden increase in the number of joggers in this country (and people have been suggesting on antisocial networks that you just need to slip on a tracksuit and jog a few metres to justify being outside for hours). It appears the authorities have cottoned onto this and I expect we’ll see this abuse of the leg-stretching rule being clamped down on now. Yeah, I know this must be a tough time for Parisians living in 15m² apartments who in normal circumstances would never eat a meal at home but they should spare a thought for the homeless and for those abused kids for whom school is the only place where they feel safe.