Lockdown conditions in France

[CroissantsAtDawn]

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....)

From what I've read it looks like 4 May. But it's only an interview

Jean-Michel Blanquer vise une reprise de l'école le 4 mai, d'après le "scénario privilégié"
www.bfmtv.com/societe/jean-michel-blanquer-vise-une-reprise-de-l-ecole-le-4-mai-d-apres-le-scenario-privilegie-1880240.html via BFMTV
Téléchargez l'application BFMTV www.bfmtv.com/app/bfmtv

I don't think it's definitely for 2 months, just that gives the prime minister the right to order all the measures during this timeframe, they don't need to pass another law for this.

The two months is just for the emery not health system so the government have carte blanche to,implement any necessary measures. I hope we don't need that long but I think we have at least another 5 weeks of confinement to get through

It's really interesting the difference between town and country. I only walk the dog and I've only been to the supermarket once but I haven't seen a single gendarme. Although I didn't see a single person on the 12km drive to the supermarket. I think we're a law abiding lot here in The Morbihan.

It's just hit me how long we're going to be stuck in the house. My DP lives in a different town to me and it sunk in last night that it's not going to be 2 weeks, which we joked about, to 6 weeks which is going to be a long time. Still, we had a virtual apero together last night which was nice.

Hope everyone is ok and have a great day in whichever corner of France you're in.

We haven't seen any police but we've only ventured out for a walk in our vicinity and one grocery shop.

I did see this van parked up yesterday though.

We have had police municipale out and about here stopping people here and there. But only occasionally. This is a pretty residential area and I think they are focusing more on the city centre and areas that are attractive for congregating.

I am glad that they are increasing the penalties for repeat offenders, hopefully that will help dissuade the most recalcitrant.

Saw some big queues for our local Carrefour Market from the window which have lasted pretty much all morning. There were queues also last Monday which I had attributed mostly to it being the first day of the lockdown, but maybe Monday is just a popular day for shopping.

Luckily we managed a big shop on Friday, well DH did, so I don't think we'll need to go back for a week. We're definitely trying to avoid top up shops if we can.

This thread is so useful to see what lockdown is really like. Thank you for posting.

Can I ask what the situation is for people who don't live with their partners? I live alone and the prospect of a 12 week lockdown is a bit daunting.

The thought of not seeing my partner for that time is really hard to wrap my head around.

@JenaWren Certainly in France this wouldn't come under any of the authorised reasons to leave home. The entire purpose to father lockdown is to prevent the population mixing with each other as far as possible, so shuttling back and forth between different houses would definitely defeat the purpose.

I suppose you could probably get away with one of you moving into each other's house for the duration, but you would probably need to stay there one you're there.

Unfortunately I think this comes down to the sacrifices that the general population are being asked to make to ensure as many of us make it through the other side of this pandemic. My sisters partner has just come back from 3 months working away and is now self isolating in his flat for 14 days which I know she has found difficult, but it is what it is. At least we now have FaceTime/Skype as an option!

Looks like we aren't going to go the complete confinement route that China did, at least for now. I'm so pleased I will still be able to take the dog out! A minister was talking today about May 4th as a possible date for la rentrée if the measures work and the cases and deaths reduce substantially. I hope so.

Cabin crew DD1 had a flight out to Bangkok yesterday. Only 7 passengers. Return flight is overbooked by 27. There will be some diappointed French nationals. She just sent this message : They’re much more serious about covid measures than we are, we will have our temperature taken everyday and it must be reported back on this health care app they made us download. Whenever we enter the hotel our temperature is taken and they make us use hand sanitizer... we have two colleagues who arrived here two days ago who have been diagnosed with covid-19 and they have been sent to hospital here and cannot leave for 14 days

I'm minutes from Swiss border and they still have not put the country in lockdown! They have the highest number of cases per capita, more than Italy. And yes schools and most shops are closed, but people are just like in the UK all heading for walks and hikes in big groups, sitting side by side on the river etc. And there are tens of thousands of cross-border workers who can still cross the border there and back every day.

@KatharinaRosalie 😱 That must be quite scary, especially as you say the border is so porous.

This is really where a co-ordinated response would make much more sense. I seem to remember on country (I can't recall which one) closed down its shops and one main reason was people coming over the border from a country that had already closed theirs.

I heard that Macron has been telling the British to either lockdown properly or that the border with France would need to be closed. It's frustrating when people here are having to sacrifice a lot and you see other countries being much more lackadaisical and then allowing their people to come over here!

Germany closed the borders because of all Swiss stockpiling there. Not because Swiss shops are closed, just because Germany is a lot cheaper.

Thanks all for sharing, it has helped me prepare mentally for what's coming here

Edouard Philippe's announcements tonight made the rules clearer, that's for sure.

@AuldAlliance Yes, I think it was needed. If it's too vague people just make up their own rules don't they!

Im glad they've closed markets. Italy has only just started doing that!

DH went to one on Friday and said never again

I went to one on Saturday - it was almost empty compared to normal times and the stalls were more spread out.
Apparently they are seeking a "dérogation" to keep it open (but I am in a département with virtually no cases and none in my town). I'm keeping an eye on the number of cases and will only go back if there are still no cases.

Ours is usually on a Fri, and didn't take place last week. I was glad.
Amongst other things, it would have forced a lot of people out of their homes to move their cars from the square it's on and try and park them elsewhere...

Good poimt about moving cars.

Ours was just a very small local one (10 stands maybe?) but its tinyness meant people were close to others, there was clingfilm and barriers up everywhere and it just wasn't nice. DH likes to buy fruit and veg (his weekly Saturday activity when DS is at tennis normally) but took no pleasure in this.

I just hope supermarkets buy more from local farms so they don't go under

I just hope supermarkets buy more from local farms so they don't go under

Yes, so do I.

Where we are there are/were a number of large weekly markets.
I hope that the market traders can find an alternative means of distribution for their lovely fresh produce. ot least so that they can maintain some income but also because it would be awful to see so much food go to waste.

I think the question of finding outlets for farmers to continue selling their produce was mentioned by the PM at some point.
If the border with Spain shut, that would make a difference, but I don't know whether that will happen. Bit hard to enforce.
I've just done an online supermarket shop, to be collected on April 3rd, the first available slot.
Luckily, I run a serious store cupboard at the best of times and had topped up in past weeks.

Listening to RTL this morning they did say that the government has urged people with time on their hands now (eg students) to get out and help farmers. If the end result was to see more local fresh fruit and veg in our supermarkets it would be a win-win situation.

Didn't realise there was a new attestation to print off after E. Philippe's announcements last night. DS1 was stopped by the police (I told him to go for a solitary 5-min walk as he had not been out the house for 48hrs) and told he needs the new one which says what time you left home.
Probably be a more restrictive one in a week...