7 min
France lockdown, season II Juste Claudia
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- Diários
Guess what? Last night, the French President officially announced a national Covid-19 lockdown for the second time, starting from Friday, 30 October. French Lockdown, Season II.
In the past five months since the gradual lifting of first national lockdown, the French government has reiterated that the country cannot afford another national lockdown as the first one almost brought the French economy to its knees. The government has been pulling all stops to stall the spiralling rise of new Covid-19 cases, especially since l’entrée scolaire, the start of the school year in September. Only just two weeks ago, on 17 October, a curfew was imposed in 8 metropolises. Exactly a week ago, the curfew which runs from 9pm to 6am, was extended to 54 of the 101 French departments. A department is an administrative division of France. In terms of population distribution, close to two-thirds of the population have been affected.
However, the last desperate measures to curb the new cases are in vain. In the last few days, we have seen the relentless surge in new confirmed cases, patients in intensive care units and deaths. According to the French government, the second wave of Covid-19 is expected. However, the speed at which the virus spread has exceeded even the most pessimistic forecast. Consequently, President Macron has to declare a national lockdown for the second time.
The second round would last for at least four weeks, until the beginning of December, but it would be less restrictive than the one in spring. Like the first round, only businesses that are deemed essential to the daily lives (supermarkets, tobacco shops – imagine! pharmacies, opticians, bakeries) can stay open and everyone is strongly encouraged to work from home, whenever it is possible. Similarly, all university classes and tertiary education will be conducted online.
What’s new, is that factories, public works, public services such as the post offices, and sectors like agriculture and construction are allowed to continue operating. In addition, all other schools, from nurseries to secondary schools, will remain open. Parks and gardens will remain open too.
Running in the woods, surrounded by the autumn colours, definitely beats running 5 times up and down the same stretch of bitumen.
The last one is a piece of good news for Silviu and I. It means that we can run in the local woods that is just 5 min away. On the other hand, we are constrained to one hour of outdoor time per day and we have to be within 1 km from home. It’s a legacy from the first round of lockdown. Likewise, we must have with us, at all times, a copy of the permission form when we leave our home.
I can count the number of times I ran during the first lockdown with just one hand. When I did run, I just ran 1km, back and forth on the main street in front of my apartment. To do a 10km run,
Guess what? Last night, the French President officially announced a national Covid-19 lockdown for the second time, starting from Friday, 30 October. French Lockdown, Season II.
In the past five months since the gradual lifting of first national lockdown, the French government has reiterated that the country cannot afford another national lockdown as the first one almost brought the French economy to its knees. The government has been pulling all stops to stall the spiralling rise of new Covid-19 cases, especially since l’entrée scolaire, the start of the school year in September. Only just two weeks ago, on 17 October, a curfew was imposed in 8 metropolises. Exactly a week ago, the curfew which runs from 9pm to 6am, was extended to 54 of the 101 French departments. A department is an administrative division of France. In terms of population distribution, close to two-thirds of the population have been affected.
However, the last desperate measures to curb the new cases are in vain. In the last few days, we have seen the relentless surge in new confirmed cases, patients in intensive care units and deaths. According to the French government, the second wave of Covid-19 is expected. However, the speed at which the virus spread has exceeded even the most pessimistic forecast. Consequently, President Macron has to declare a national lockdown for the second time.
The second round would last for at least four weeks, until the beginning of December, but it would be less restrictive than the one in spring. Like the first round, only businesses that are deemed essential to the daily lives (supermarkets, tobacco shops – imagine! pharmacies, opticians, bakeries) can stay open and everyone is strongly encouraged to work from home, whenever it is possible. Similarly, all university classes and tertiary education will be conducted online.
What’s new, is that factories, public works, public services such as the post offices, and sectors like agriculture and construction are allowed to continue operating. In addition, all other schools, from nurseries to secondary schools, will remain open. Parks and gardens will remain open too.
Running in the woods, surrounded by the autumn colours, definitely beats running 5 times up and down the same stretch of bitumen.
The last one is a piece of good news for Silviu and I. It means that we can run in the local woods that is just 5 min away. On the other hand, we are constrained to one hour of outdoor time per day and we have to be within 1 km from home. It’s a legacy from the first round of lockdown. Likewise, we must have with us, at all times, a copy of the permission form when we leave our home.
I can count the number of times I ran during the first lockdown with just one hand. When I did run, I just ran 1km, back and forth on the main street in front of my apartment. To do a 10km run,
7 min