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Original poster

Lockdown conditions in France

924 replies

CroissantsAtDawn · 17/03/2020 06:01

Ive seen lots of threads with people worrying about lockdown.and how they would cope/ it would be enforced.

Last night, following the President's announcement I received a text message from the government confirming the lockdown for 15 days and linking to a site with details.

From 12 today we are only allowed out to go to work if work from home isnt possible, buy groceries, see a doctor, help elderly/vulnerable family in need (with reminder about barrier actions), to let a dog do its business or for individual physical activity close to home.

Each time you need a paper dated and signed explaining why you are out. Infringements are fined 38-135 euros. The paper can be downloaded and printed, shown on your phone or just hand written.

100 000 police and army personnel are being deployed to enforce the conditions.

No mention of how children can exercise. Just that parks etc are closed and there should be no family or friends gathering.

We are going to test going out early for run with 1 DC each and hope that is allowed in "individual activity". If its not I ll stand on the doorstep and watch them run up and down the road (2 highly active boys living in a flat....)

OP posts:
Original poster
CroissantsAtDawn · 07/04/2020 12:19

You're right! In Paris no exercising between 10 and 19h from tomorrow. Damn it! We were taking the DC out for a post lunch run.

OP posts:
KatharinaRosalie · 07/04/2020 12:28

The Paris restriction is odd, I don't get what this is supposed to achieve. Just reading in the newspaper that this is specifically about jogging and of course you can go for a walk at any time. What if I jog at walking speed?

If they do the same here I'll have to start sneaking across the border to Switzerland for my exercise. .

Original poster
CroissantsAtDawn · 07/04/2020 12:33

What Ive read is that the "activité individuelle sportive" is banned. So you can't go out for that reason, including walking. You can only go out to shops/pharmacy/Dr etc.

OP posts:
KatharinaRosalie · 07/04/2020 13:00

OK that would make more sense. Not really nice for small children that they can't go out for their exercise when the weather is the nicest.

MadameF · 07/04/2020 13:47

I'd have thought that most (serious) runners go out before 10am and after 19h anyway? With temperatures of 23°C forecast this week it's too hot to run comfortably in the daytime

Watchagotcha · 07/04/2020 13:59

I think there are fewer issues about essentials here because people are being relatively compliant and not going to buy a bottle of wine and a bar of chocolate.

I think it’s the opposite: no one gets into trouble for “just” buying wine and chocolate because they are most definitely essential purchases! Plenty of independent wine merchants and very fancy patisseries are open around us ;-)

KatharinaRosalie · 07/04/2020 14:23

I have heard that supermarkets in UK have areas closed off, and Boots will also not allow you to browse make up and similar. Haven't seen anything like that here.

MadameF · 07/04/2020 14:37

Our local Magasin Vert is open but you are only allowed to buy animal food there, the rest of the shop is closed off.
However our local supermarket has shown solidarité with the local nurseries and is selling their plants as they can't open themselves.
Judging by the empty shelves in the wine section (especially the cubics) I'd say that wine was considered a necessity in France too. The wine industry has enough problems at the moment with a lot of younger people now preferring to drink artisanal beer.

KatharinaRosalie · 07/04/2020 14:39

Our one closed entirely as they said only selling pet food didn't make sense for them. But I thought they changed it last week and the garden centres are considered 'essentials' now.

LaChatte · 07/04/2020 15:21

In our local town you can buy any food you like so long as it's part of a big (weekly) shop. They've been giving out fines for people buying single baguettes in boulangeries (being told to buy at least two). On the other hand the mayor is encouraging us to buy local, reminding people that the patissiers and chocolatiers are open for business and that Easter is an important time of year for them.

LaChatte · 07/04/2020 15:22

Also our garden centres are open again but only allowed to sell pet food and edible plants.

MadameF · 07/04/2020 16:56

I haven't been to my local magasin vert for a while but it looks like potager plants are being sold now. I have to go this week to buy some more hen food so will find out more then. I'll just have to have salade, courgettes and tomatoes in my window boxes instead of petunias and geraniums this year.

Roseau18 · 07/04/2020 20:19

My closest biggish supermarket has all its non-food, non-toiletries cordonned off (that was the one with no milk), I haven't been to the other one yet but the other one is laid out in a way that it would be hard to cordon off the different parts.

I noticed some local farmers have started selling fruit and vegetables three afternoons a week in what was a vacant shop. Since bakers are now only open in the morning, I'm not really sure how you could combine the two on one day.

What do you make of the new form people travelling into France will have to fill in? That makes it seem to me that they are planning a lock-down for longer than the end of April (I know it's only officially until mid-April at the moment but I was hoping it would only be another two weeks after that).

StrangeLookingParasite · 07/04/2020 20:47

Disappointed in the electronic form, I thought it would be something easy and convenient to use,click and go. But typing in all the data each time does not make it easier. Will probably just stick to my paper forms, I pre-filled one and have a stack printed out, so just need to date and sign.

Keep the page open on your phone, then change the details as necessary and generate a new pdf.

I'm a bit sick of it all now, and I wish they would deliver mail again. We've had nothing since the 23/3.

Roseau18 · 07/04/2020 20:53

StrangelookingParasite have they stopped your post completely? Here it has been reduced to three days a week and I have still been getting the odd letter (not that I get much anyway).

The one good thing is that all cold calls have stopped. I have switched the sound back on on my landline phone.

CoteDAzur · 07/04/2020 21:00

I have just one paper that I filled out with DC's frixion pen. I just erase and refill the date and time when necessary.

NomadNoMore · 07/04/2020 21:04

@Roseau18 are your supermarkets close enough together for you to be able to get away with using different ones? Mine is about 7km away and has a pretty limited range, but the next one is 25 minutes away.

StrangeLookingParasite · 07/04/2020 21:22

StrangelookingParasite have they stopped your post completely? Here it has been reduced to three days a week and I have still been getting the odd letter (not that I get much anyway).

Well, I live in hope! Grin
I'd ordered quite a few things before we got shut in, then figured I'd get things I couldn't online. This might have been a bit of a crap idea...

Cote, just make sure the paper doesn't get too scrunched, or it'll give the game away. (Husband did the same until the electronic form appeared).

Roseau18 · 07/04/2020 21:32

Nomadnomore, I live in a small town so they are in opposite directions but both within walking distance (and just under 1km from my house). They are both a reasonable size (ie neither a superette nor a hypermarket).

I am wondering if my car will start again though if the lockdown goes on for too long.

What bugs me at the moment is, the French rule of not being allowed to bring in food you have brought somewhere else (even when they don't sell what you have brought in another shop). I would like to go to the supermarket last because I buy heavy things there and don't want to lug them on a long detour home to get some bread. The baker I like and the supermarket are in opposite directions so normally I would just make two trips.

Roseau18 · 07/04/2020 21:35

Strangelookingparadise, I had cat food delivered last week (I was worried about not finding the brand the cats liked so ordered two large boxes) and also contact lenses as I had ordered more at the opticians the Friday before lockdown and the opticians is shut for the duration. Both took about ten days to come.

StrangeLookingParasite · 07/04/2020 22:41

Was that through La Poste, Roseau? Chronopost still seem to be delivering, Amazon are, and I think DPD are, but the bog-ordinary post is orf. B'stards (not really).

AuldAlliance · 07/04/2020 22:42

I ordered 2 books from Amazon 3 weeks ago for DS2's birthday this weekend. I usually avoid them, but no one else had the books.
They sent an email on Friday, after 48h of contradictory information,
telling me delivery had been impossible and that I should look at La Poste's website. That said, over the space of 30mins, that the parcel of 2 books was on its way, then that it couldn't be delivered due to a natural disaster, then that it was stuck because my road was shut, then that it had been given to the wrong sorting office in town.
The second of those explanations is the only one that can be dismissed out of hand.
But since I have little chance of getting much joy from the PO, based on past experience when delivery was far more straightforward, it seems that DS2 is not going to have any actual presents. Luckily, he is very sanguine about it all.

AuldAlliance · 07/04/2020 22:45

Sorry: the third explanation, that my road was shut, is the only really implausible one...
Télétravail is killing me.

CoteDAzur · 07/04/2020 22:53

Strange - I haven't figured out the electronic version yet. I guess I'll have to do that in the next couple of days.

CoteDAzur · 07/04/2020 22:56

Auld - Nice to see you again Smile I remember you from when I was pregnant with DS. He is nearly 11 now. Thank you for your kindness during what was a very stressful time for me Flowers

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