January 15, 2021

Friday

Started the day with some home fries (yes, I did learn how to make these this week!), eggs, and coffee. It’s rainy, so once again I’ll be stuck in the house. I’ll be reading my book of the week today and tomorrow. I hope to spend some time watching old movies this afternoon too. I thought I’d take some time to talk about the COVID situation in France because I won’t have much else to write about today.

When I arrived in November, France started a national lockdown. We were not allowed to leave the house for more than an hour, except for work. Everyone that could work from home was expected to do so. Restaurants and bars were closed. Everyone was required to stay within 1 km of their residence. When leaving the house, you were required to fill out an attestation, a document that said where you were going, why you were out, and when you left the house. If you were stopped by the police and violated any of the rules, you would be issued a fine of 180 euros.

Conditions became less harsh in December, even as cases continued to rise. We were allowed within 20 km of our houses and could go out for 3 hours a day. An attestation was still required. Restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and bars remained closed.

In late December, this system was replaced by a couvre-feu (a curfew). This was seen as a reward, because cases were dropping and the situation was becoming more manageable in hospitals. In most regions, you were required to be in the house by 8pm. If you needed to leave the house after that, an attestation was required. However, all shops were required to close at that time. Restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and bars remained closed.

Since Christmas, hospitals have been struggling. Many people had large family gatherings and mixed with people from other regions. There have been confirmed cases of the British variant of COVID, which appears to spread more easily than other variants. The government instituted a stricter couvre-feu policy. This rule was originally supposed to last only two weeks. Regions with large metropolitan areas would be under a curfew starting at 6pm. As of this writing, my region is not currently under this rule. Curfew rules have really reduced my ability to travel and to see other cities.

There was a recent announcement by the French government that changed curfew policies. On January 14th, the Prime Minister announced that the 6pm curfew would extend to the entirety of France starting Saturday the 16th. It will last a minimum of 15 days. The object is to limit gatherings and to limit damage to the French economy. If caught violating the rule, you will face a fine of 135 euros on the first offense. If you are a repeating offender, the fine can go as high as 3,750 euros. Link for more info here. Looks like I’m about to stuck in the house for a while! If you have any good books to suggest, let me know!

The attitude towards these measures is mixed. It compares in no way to the anger and violence seen in the US over COVID measures. While there are protests, I don’t think it’s right to compare them to things we’ve seen at home. The culture of protesting is different here in that is done more frequently and with much more vigor than in the States.

Many French folks are upset that cultural centers like museums, theaters, and cinemas are closed. They have protested the harm done to the economy through these closings. Some insist that these places pose no health risk because tourists have almost disappeared from the country.

I think the attitude here is mixed. In cities, where there are more highly educated people, I think that attitude is a lot like that in more liberal cities in the US. People know the virus is real, that is is dangerous. They socially distance whenever possible, they limit outside time, they wear their masks properly. That’s not to say there isn’t pandemic fatigue, because there is. I see a lot of French TikToks that talk about how much people miss their friends, but how much they fear killing off their grandparents or their parents. A lot of people my age, no matter where they are, seem deeply concerned for the welfare of their communities.

In more rural areas, much like the US, there is strong disbelief in the utility of masks and social distancing measures. I see a lot of people wearing their masks incorrectly and refusing to respect social distancing. There are often people who wear their masks correctly who complain intensely about having to do so. While they do comply, they don’t necessarily do so happily. I think it’s also interesting that here, social distancing is considered 1 m or 3 ft. Kids are frustrated that they’re missing sports, time with their friends. People desperately miss being social, so they bend the rules a lot.

Still, I think that government measures and communication about the measures is much better than that in the US. There is a coordinated effort by the French state as a whole to crush the COVID problem. When the President got sick, there was clear communication about his condition and the medications that he was given. The people got a clear timeline of what was going on. We can see advertisements about how to wear a mask, what symptoms are, how to get tested, and where to get tested. Students can get free masks at school, there are community drives to give cloth masks out to those who need them.