Phase 1 Thoughts

We are currently on déconfinement day 22 (D-22).

Alcohol has been banned along the quais (riverbanks) of the Seine river and the canals. Everyone was a little too excited on the first day of déconfinement and swamped to the canals and banks of the Seine river to meet friends and loved ones they hadn’t seen in over 8 weeks. Social distancing wasn’t being taken into consideration and therefore, the police got involved to break up the fun. Now don’t get me wrong, we have all been waiting for this day. I’ve been waiting for the day! When I can leave my house and not need a permission slip. When I can go outside for more than one hour and enjoy the outdoors. But I know that I must wear a mask and social distance to those around me. Things can’t go back to the exact way they were before unfortunately and we need to continue this way for the foreseeable future.

Here’s what’s new for my life in Paris, P.C. (post-confinement):

The country has been divided into two sections. Red or Green. I am sure you can guess what each color represents. Basically those in green are départements (counties) where there is less stress/pressure on hospitals and the numbers of the virus circulating are lower. Those in red are not where numbers and cases need to be and habitants need to still be vigilant. We in the red are allowed to leave the house with out our attestation (permission slip), masks are still highly recommended and most stores are requiring you to wear them upon entry. Our easement of the lockdown will some at a slower pace and with certain restrictions not being lifted quite yet. This is all contingent, for red and green zones, on the virus numbers being reported by the medical fields. As long as the numbers continue to decline, the deconfinement process will move forward.

Here’s what we know for Phase One:

• Hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing are still highly encouraged when venturing out of your home.
• You are allowed to meet in public places, but no more than 10 people should be present.
• We are now allowed to move to up to 100 km from our residence. You are allowed to travel beyond this 100 km limit, but only for imperative family or professional reasons. There will be a special form that will need to be used if this is the case.
• Public transportation will be slowly resuming services over the next several weeks. People are urged to work from home is still possible, but it is understood that some may need to return to their physical office.
• It is now mandatory to wear a mask on public transportation, if you are stopped without one the fine is 135€. The RATP and SNCF have put in place markers for passengers to be able to maintain a social distance of 1 m.
• If you are traveling during rush hours in the morning or evening, you will need yet another special form that your employer will provide for you stating that you must take public transportation to get to work.
• Borders are still closed to any non-essential travel and will most likely stay closed till mid-June or later.

So far, life seems to start to pump again. I don’t have this urge when I step out of our front door that I need to hurry as quick as possible to the store. I do wear a mask when I am out and about, I am pretty impressed with the amount of people wearing masks versus not wearing masks. Most stores are requiring their patrons to wear a mask upon entering their location. We’ve hung out with friends on a few occasions and it has been the most wonderful thing. We’ve started to take nightly walks after dinner to enjoy the beautiful sunsets and weather. It’s nice to feel like there is a life getting back to.