Living with Covid-19 French Style
Bonjour de la France! By special request of the Essence team I am writing about the circumstances Covid-19 has inflicted upon us as residents of Europe and the experience here in France.
Words: Philip Wood Photography: Philip Wood
First let me enlighten you on how Europe is currently viewing New Zealand’s response. Generally, Jacinda is considered to be one of the few credible, authentic leaders to emerge from this disaster. Her “Go Hard; Go Early” approach has drawn much admiration, especially in rugby passionate France. And, of course, her elevation of the Easter Bunny to the status of essential worker went viral.
The longer this plague continues the more tribal Europe is evolving. Their open border agreement (Schengen Area) is dissolving as borders are closed, support for each other is not as forthcoming as it should be and governments are starting to flout the EU competition regulations by supporting their own industries to prevent complete economic collapse. Competition for supplies of PPE and ventilators has caused some friction. With the insanity of Brexit already having caused huge problems many are questioning what the future holds for the EU project.
As I write, France is entering week seven of an eight-week lockdown. The country is still reeling from the news that we are dying from Covid-19 at a rate equivalent to two full Air France jumbo jets crashing every day. President Macron was the first world leader to publicly declare war on the virus and the nation has been on a war footing ever since. The worst infected areas are Paris and the eastern side of the country, particularly Alsace.
In the 24 hours prior to lockdown some Parisians fled to their second homes in the countryside, taking Covid-19 along with them. Not a popular move with us locals, as most brought no supplies and so have placed additional strain on our limited local resources. Now Paris appears empty as up to 30% of its residents have dispersed elsewhere. All motorways and railways are locked down with only the most essential of vehicles being sanctioned.
Breaking the lockdown rules results in an on the spot fine of €135 for a first offence. Offenders rarely escape with a warning and fines steadily rise to thousands, or imprisonment for serial offenders. The Gendarmerie are patrolling everywhere and France has sadly become a quasi-police state.
So how are we affected locally in our small hamlet? We have to fill in a form every time we venture out and carry it with us together with our ID. We are permitted to leave home for four reasons, one of which is one hour daily of walking/jogging exercise - but no bikes. We cannot stop, dawdle, chat with others or sit down during that walk. We must stay within a 1km radius of our home and a government website shows us where the 1km limit is for each of us. It’s like living under the Simpson’s dome or on The Truman Show.
We live on a single lane country road where the nearest junction is 1.3kms, confining our daily walks to the same piece of tarmac. We have by necessity discovered many new farm tracks and woodland trails. Sometimes we are naughty and venture up to 100 metres outside our dome to complete a circuit.
We are allowed to shop for essentials, but only one person at a time. Eve would never trust me to procure the right products, so suitably adorned with protective gloves, face mask and sanitizer spray she ventures off alone. Regulations require Eve to go to the nearest store, which isn’t nearly as extensive as our usual supermarket. Generally panic buying hasn’t been a problem in France possibly because the French are far too laid back and, quite frankly, would find it impossible to summon up the energy required. Most French households have an extensive wine cellar, so everyone is happy. Heaven help the glass recyclers when all this is over.
Two other legitimate reasons to leave home are work and medical reasons. Only essential workers are allowed to go to work, others must work from home or not at all. As the French have never been accused of being the world’s hardest workers this doesn’t cause the political friction and resentment that it generates elsewhere.
Ironically our Limousin hamlet is not as peaceful with our neighbours at home. We suffer mowing, trimming and home renovations noise all week long. C’est la vie!
We wait to see how the virus is finally controlled and then pick up the pieces, however they have fallen. I’m sure the French will continue much as usual, hopefully grasping the fresh opportunities to reestablish the economy in a greener, more sustainable fashion. Their ability to reconstruct after being subjugated is well documented many times over.
Stay safe; stay strong; stay home!
Philip’s e-book, Phrotose - a collection of prose and photos - is now available on Amazon.
