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

@KatharinaRosalie that doesn't surprise me. Myself and DH reckon his DM had it back in early January. She had all of the symptoms bar a cough but she did have worrying shortness of breath. She was off sick from work for 2 weeks and it gradually got better.

We're in 01 and I've heard nothing from the school yet about DD's return to her Terminale class. They're still doing online classes sporadically, she's on a philo call right now. I don't know why they're bothering to take them back at all. The IB students in Canton Genève have all already graduate which DD is sour about

In today's game of "which rupture de stock" will we find in Carrefour, pâte brisée was the winner.

The plot thickens... while the mairies of our school were strongly against opening the inspecteur is refusing to accept this so limbo for everyone.

I am a bit disappointed at what a mess this is. Everything else seems to have been managed quite well considering the unprecedented nature of events.

Yes the mess is very..French. On the one hand, a declaration that schools will open on 11th...except the ones that won't open.

And the homeschooling has been total shambles. In my original country, all classes simply moved online and schooling continued otherwise as before. Here everybody does what they want, no organisation, no common requirements even inside the same department. Did a quick survey in just our neighbouring villages and in CP-CM1, it ranges from full program online teaching to basically nothing. Whatever the teacher decides. Unfortunately we have the teacher who has gone with the 'nothing' option. So if they will tell us no school, I will go to the head and demand the teacher makes at least some effort.

My friend's kids in Guadeloupe went from a five week greve to this! They haven't had proper school in 12 weeks!

So, the "test school" thing was just our maire having momentary delusions or a glass too many of rosé de Provence.

All primary schools to open on Mon. At DS2's, there are 18 CP and 24 CM2 whose parents said yes.
They will be divided into two groups of 9 and 12 and have school one week on, one week off, normal hours.
We were asked whether we wanted/need garderie and canteen, but I presume the latter meant 'will your child be at school at lunchtime?' rather than 'will your child eat canteen meals?', as the rules say they have to eat in the classroom and packed lunches will surely be required.

DS2 is keen to go back, but wants to know which of the groups he'll be in and therefore which teacher he'll have and friends he'll be with. This morning we were chatting and he asked me what I would choose to do if we were really free to do what we liked. His choice was to go to a big open space and play l'épervier with all his mates: "But I know we won't be able to do that for a very long time..."

A number of German politicians are demanding that the border controls for entering the country must be stopped. I hope this happens, as then the neighbouring countries (incl France) will follow. I don't see any point in keeping the borders closed in a situation where the virus is already everywhere.

Given where the red zone is in France, opening the border with Germany is perhaps not ideal.

(Although I'm a bit about the 2 criteria the zones are based on, TBH.)

We're in an orange zone but we still have no clear idea what's happening with the border. They can't possibly check everyone for permis de travail suisse otherwise it would take 4 hours to cross. Geneva is already "open for business" but it's not clear if we are allowed across the border into the city center.

This has been somewhat helpful -
www.gouvernement.fr/sites/default/files/cimages/infographie_deconfinement_-_020520.jpg

Auld we're in red due to hospital capacity here next to German border. But green for virus circulation, so not high risk from that perspective.

Long so there does not seem to be that much difference between red and green anyway.

I have the same Swiss border crossing issue - have been quite a few times, and no problem at the moment, but most frontaliers are still not commuting, roads are empty. Once everybody wants to cross, checking every permit is simply not possible. And currently only work permit holders can cross, we can't take DC across the border without a reason.

So it seems we ll need an attestation to use public transport in Paris. DH had planned on cycling or driving (depending on weather and if he has meetings in other offices) and Im working from home but will cycle the 60 minutes to work once to get a new computer. So we ll naturally be avoiding transport

Private college here. Asked if we are sending them back - questionnaire sent out yesterday evening. In our case not for all 4 kids (1 at lycée) however some social life for them from Tuesday. Off to stay with BF/ BFFs.

75, private school.

From the 14th, full time for hospital staff DC plus any Dc whose 2 parents have to work outside the home (attestation needed).

From the 25th
GS & CE1 : half days Monday and Tuesday
CP & CM2 : half days Thursday and Friday
CE2 : half days Monday and Thursday
CM1 : half days Tuesday and Friday

Try and work that one out!!!!! Especially as GS has 2 classes that are right next to each other (primaire is across the playground). I can only assume very few GS are coming back.

Basically mine are both in half a day on Mondays - don't know yet if it's the same days. Then Tuesday for one and Thursday for the other. Such fun.

01 was green zoned thankfully!! Still nothing about the Lycée, will be announced at the end of May.

I would say that tomorrow and Sunday will be like normal, there are so many more people out and about already.

They had checks in my little village just a couple of days ago, so careful with the relaxation, they are still trying to get the last of the fine money in.

We've heard some more on what's happening at the school in our village. Maternelle and elementary are going back from 18th. Both schools are doing morning only with staggered start and finish times. There's no cantine nor before school garderie.

In the Maternelle it will only be GS plus MS for essential workers and they will be in small groups of 6-8 and not necessarily with their regular teacher or class mates (normally two GS classes). PS will be later.

We're waiting to find out which days DC will be in school. Given the arrangements, I'm happy that they will only be in for half days. Walking past school on the way to the boulangerie I've seen that the play equipment in the playground has been taped off.

I've seen today that both Decathlon and Boulanger will require you to wear a mask when they open from Monday. My job for the weekend is to get the sewing machine out and make myself a nice mask. I've been checking out patterns and instructions.

Thanks for info on decathlon and boulanger. Both on our list for visits after lockdown! (Our microwave broke 2 weeks ago argh)

Walking past school on the way to the boulangerie I've seen that the play equipment in the playground has been taped off.

It's just starting to dawn on DS12 (5eme) what it's going to like back at collège (if he goes) - he's on the phone to his friends a lot and they are sharing info, as all families got an update from the collège admin late last night. Hearing that they will be expected to stay in the classroom, at their desk for every "pause", and not go in the playground at all was a particular blow. His girl-friend just broke the news to him that she probably won't be back in school at all this year: her parents are both Drs so they don't want her to catch it from them, then take it into school... plus they need her to watch her little sister as they are both working (they were whisked off to her grandparents the day before lockdown started and has been there ever since).

Thank god he'll be able to meet up with friends as of next week - and since we are in a green zone, the parcs etc might be opened up. If that goes according to plan, I don't think we'll push him to go back unless he really wants to.

We have just had a long email explaining how DS2's school day (CM2) will be organised, including each child playing separately alone in the playground ("bring a small game that can be played along, perhaps a skipping rope").

L'école de demain ne sera vraiment pas l'école d'hier...

L'école de demain ne sera vraiment pas l'école d'hier...

That's so sad

My DH was just saying that he heard that some places won't let you in with home made masks. Our Carrefour is selling surgical masks, max 2 per person but they're not reusable. It's hardly environmentally friendly

I think if shops are going to do that they would have to provide masks. We are getting two surgical type ones from the Mairie, but I think our four layer washable home-made ones are a bit more hygienic.
Besides which none of the others are big enough for DH's beard.
On the subject of schools generally I think there is a lot that could be done to change them to a more effective model - but these are obviously not the circumstances under which anyone would want to do it.

I think the obligatory mask thing is just silly. Who knows how many times 1 mask has been worn? Or even how long? So it becomes just a show rather than an actual barrier.

We're in IDF so red zone but DS (PS) is going back on Tuesday morning, then full time from Thursday. Apparently only 5 kids in his class are going back so they should be able to manage the distancing issue.

However there'll be no canteen, so I'm going to have to invent a load of cold lunch ideas with food he's guaranteed to eat. He needs his own labelled cutlery, drinks bottle, lunchbox etc that he can recognise as his own. Sounds straightforward enough but it's not something he's been used to in the past. Might nip up to Auchan tomorrow to see if they've got anything in stock.

"they're not reusable. It's hardly environmentally friendly"

Honestly? The environment is the least of my worries right now.

My concern is for DH and I to not only survive but not be hospitalised in the next 2 years or so, so that one of us can earn some money and the other can take care of DC until a vaccine is available. I can live with throwing away some disposable masks in the bin with everything else that we can't compost or recycle.

Our mairie is distributing 2 fabric masks per person as of Tues.

We are on the edge of our seats here waiting to see if our little border with Switzerland will open. Probably not far from LongPauseNoReply. They have removed the concrete barriers and the no pass message says it is forbidden to pass for reasons of shopping, tourisme or vistas. Our children are at international schools in Switzerland and they go back on Monday. If our border is open even for pedestrians, we could bike to school and avoid long queues and a detour to the nearest open border.