France lockdown 2 - vers un deconfinement

[CroissantsAtDawn]

2nd thread discussing the lockdown in France and the impending deconfinement...

First thread here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3850860-Lockdown-conditions-in-France

With the UK and quarantine thing - to be honest I'm not sure how they would enforce it? They haven't had to have attestations like us. They haven't had half so many fines issued (my family report that the police tend to just encourage you to go home rather than fine).

If my very English-sounding boys were to go and stay with their grandparents, who would check that they were staying at home 14 days and how? It's not like they'll be in a holiday let/hotel.

However, if there is a quarantine period we won't send them. They've been exposed to enough unsettling behaviour, I don't want them feeling afraid (of police etc) in England without us.

Oh yes we were swimminh yesterday - pool (no heating) was 25c. Now I need a winter coat. Must be some kind of conspiracy to keep people indoors.

As for quarantine, I have some friends in China who had to quarantine after flyinh back there. They actually have alarms on their doors, and they need to get permission every time they want to open the apartment door during their 2 week quarantine.

Freezing here too. Have been for ages actually.

April was boiling 27 degrees plus chauffage collective was still on.

Fast forward to May - temperatures drop, but they've turned the heating off, meaning we're all back in winter PJs and blankets at night!

My nounou has just taken the boys out in a gale. i've told her that if she gets cold to come back no problem.

Very jealous of the swimming pool. We just went paddling in the flooded courtyard yesterday after Saturday's thunderstorm...

Our neighbour scoffed at us planting our tomatoes, said it was far too early. We were too smug looking at 25 degrees on the thermometer. It was 15 degrees this morning

@LongPauseNoReply my lovely 88 year old neighbour asks every time he sees me whether I'm cold. I've been in shorts for a month, he's still in a hat, scarf and overcoat.

Today is the first time since March it's been warmer in the house than outside.

We are due 4° overnight so ours are still in the greenhouse. We have lived here for 15 years and every year people say, "here in France we have the saints de glace....". Then they plant out the compulsory geraniums and it freezes on the day after. 😀
I am a bit unnerved by it actually being right this year.....

@NomadNoMore haha I get similar looks. Out pottering in the garden in shorts and t-shirt when it's 18 degrees and the southern Europeans in the area are still in duvet coats.

It's kind of a running joke around here because it's so international, that you can tell the northern Europeans from the southern Europeans by whomever is wearing shorts in April

I'm just back from Decathlon. I got wetsuits for the kids so that they can go in our unheated swimming pool when it's a bit cooler. They have been using it the last couple of weeks, but it won't be sunny all the time. It's currently blowing a gale today so I won't force them to try out the new wetsuits this afternoon. My DC are seriously lucky to have been able to use our pool for the last couple of weeks of confinement.

In my local Decathlon, masks are obligatory, but I saw that there were a few younger children without masks in the shop today.

Yeah I saw they said about masks but even on public transport and in schools its not obligatory under age 11. So I (and probably those you saw today) assumed it would be same rules for Decathlon.

We just ordered the new bike over the internet. DS is soooo mega excited. guess what we'll be doing this weekend?!

Just back from a trip to Marché aux Affaires for a few bits and bobs. Everyone was wearing masks. There were a few teenagers hanging around in the town centre chatting but it was still fairly quiet.

DD2 isn’t going back to college just yet, although I did get her to promise that she’d do some kind of sport / music / activity in September.

@brittanyfairies can I ask what your DC think of La Mennais ? DD1 is likely to go there next year and it seems ok from what I’ve heard.

I went to Leclerc and I'd say about a quarter to 1/3 were in masks, no more. In Haut-Rhin.

About fifty fifty here in town.

I spoke with my friend who lives in Geneva earlier and she said it's madness. Hardly anyone wearing masks and no social distancing at all.

I passed by one of the main borders earlier and it looked open. I'd love to cross and have a walk by the lake but the Swizz fuzz are not very forgiving!

Over here the Swiss check you every time when entering, they have not waved me through not even once. Germany is talking about opening the borders from 15th of May, we will see if the Swiss will reciprocate and then what they will do with the rest of the neighbours.

@NoraLuka My DS1 loves La Mennais he has ASD and it's the only school that hasn't treated him like he's got 2 heads. They've really supported him. I had a massive argument with the prof principale in 3eme at St Julien who said he wasn't good enough for Bac Generale. My DC1 is finishing premiere with a moyenne of 16.

DC2 is not having such a good experience he started on Bac Generale in seconde but will change to STMG in premiere. He just says school is boring. He qualified for the basketball section and I don't think it's worked out as he hoped. I'm hoping next year he'll get his act together.

Well I was out with DS1 yesterday apm, and apart from maybe 30% wearing masks and a few queues outside shops (thus reducing space for distancing in the pavements), it felt like business as usual in our city. 90% of shops open, plenty of traffic, lots of non-family groups walking closely together. Loads of bored teenagers around. It’s bizarre - did I dream the last 2 months?

@Watchagotcha I felt the same. If people don't adhere to the face mask and social distancing rules we'll be swiftly back on lockdown

@LongPause

From what I saw, the schools going back is not going to be the biggest impact - it’s just “normal life” restarting. DS had a dentist rdv, where they are clearly trying their best to adjust, but it’s very clunky and inconvenient. It’s very hard to constantly make life difficult and inconvenient for oneself when so much human ingenuity has gone into making life so efficient and convenient !

I am a little confused, I understand we do not need the employer's attestation (I mean the separate one, not the digital you fill out every time) any more? Went to Switzerland and the French border guard demanded I show it on my way back.

Just a reminder too (I wasn't aware of this) even though the attestations are no longer needed day to day, everyone also needs to carry a justification de domicile whenever they are out of the house.

@brittanyfairies thanks, good to know that your DS1 is happy there, I have no personal experience of it but from what I’ve heard provision for pupils with ASD can be quite poor in France! Hopefully DS2 will be happier next year.

I didn’t realise you had to have a justificatif de domicile with you all the time, I definitely haven’t been doing that! Although it is common sense I suppose.

Katharina, the border controls are still operational. Anyone I know with kids in school in CH need an attestation to cross and the Swiss frontier guards in Geneva are checking papers on entry. Entry to France is only for frontaliers, residents etc so you still need the international attesation to enter France. I hear pays de gex border is relatively lax but from haute savioe there are big queues. Plus you're not allowed cross border shop....

usually they didn't ask for proof of residency or international attestation. They asked for employer's attestation.

Looks like you need your work permit/contact as well as your attestation... www.frontalier.org/coronavirus-consequences-frontaliers-suisse.htm but I assumed you always needed to carry the work permit anyway...

yes sure I have the permit. Maybe the border guard meant the international certificate then, but she was happy with the one we had to have during confinement to go to work.