Parisians, enjoying the weather in the Latin Quarter. Photo by Lisa Rankin.
This post is series of informal updates and observations about life in Paris during the pandemic and news regarding openings and travel restrictions.
The weather this past weekend in Paris was glorious. It seemed like every single Parisian was out on the cafe terraces to socialize, sip on a beverage and basque in the warm sunshine. Cafés play an integral role in the Parisians’ lives. Since the 19th of May, when the cafes were allowed to open, the city has sprung to life once again and the energy of jubilant Parisians is palpable.
A makeshift terrace..
The landscape of the city has changed because of the pandemic and it’s not such a bad thing. The municipal government added extra bicycle lanes since folks weren’t using public transport as much and now that people are used to cycling the city has decided to leave many of the new bike lanes in place.
The city has also been very good about letting the cafés spread out their outdoor seating for social distancing and also because indoor dining is not allowed. You’ll see tables and chairs extending down the sidewalks well beyond the boundaries of the café. The neighbouring shops seem to be co-operating and allowing cafe goers to park themselves in front of their storefronts. There have been many makeshift terraces set up in parking spaces along the roads in front of the cafes, although the owners do have to pay a fee for this. It seems to have been worth it for the cafe and restaurant owners because at mealtimes, they are filling up.
Paris is not fully open yet, but the government has been steadily ramping up the vaccination program and as cases continue to decline, June 9th will be the next step of reopening.
What is the next phase of the lifting of restrictions in France?
The next notable date for the reopening of France on a national level is June 9th. Here are some points that are of interest for visitors.
Residents from outside of Europe will be able to visit.
Cafe terraces will be able to open to 100% capacity. (Although they appear to me to be at 110%.)
Interior dining areas will be able to open to 50% capacity with a maximum of 6 guests per table.
The nightly curfew will be pushed back from 9pm to 11pm
Office workers will be able to return to their place of work, so we can say welcome back to rush hour.
Up to 5,000 people will be allowed to attend cultural and sporting events, provided the present a health pass that they have been vaccinated or tested negative for the
As long as cases continue to decline the next phase of the reopening will be on June 30th.
Paris is reopening (Step by Step)
PUBLISHED MAY 12, 2021
The French government has decided to start opening up the county after May 19th, although it will be incrementally.
One of the most exciting aspects of the loosening of restrictions is the re-opening of the café terraces on May 19th, however, only to 50% capacity. After June 9th, they will be allowed to reopen to 100% with a maximum of 50% capacity for interior diners. For the Parisians who like to take a coffee, standing at the bar, this will be forbidden.
On the 19th of May, I imagine there will be a mad rush of Parisians to grab seats on the terrace as it will be a welcome respite from the tiny Parisian apartments that we’ve been cooped up in for over a year now. Cafés play a significant role in the Parisian lifestyle and in the best of times, Parisians spend many hours on café terraces. Since the apartments here are generally quite small, Parisians use them as a kind of public living room.
Other venues such as gyms, non-essential shops, cinemas and museums will also be permitted to open but with restrictions on capacities.
After the 19th of May, June 30 will be the next major date to keep in mind because that is when things are planned to reopen almost entirely.
Will it be possible to travel to France?
On June 9th France hopes to start welcoming visitors from abroad who are Covid Free. And EU citizens will be able to travel freely throughout the EU as long as they are carrying vaccine certificates.
US citizens who want up-to-date travel information should check the US Embassy website. https://fr.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
Canadians can check up-to-date travel regulations here: https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/france/index.aspx?lang=eng. Australians, New Zealanders and Brits are able to travel now, as long as they have proof of immunization or a negative PCR test.
Sources for this update:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/world/europe/american-travel-to-europe.html
https://www.lebonbon.fr/paris/news/deconfinement-la-calendrier-des-reouvertures-precise/
Lockdown - The Third Time Around
PUBLISHED APRIL 19, 2021
It’s been close to a year now since my last update, and to be honest, it doesn’t feel like life in Paris has changed all that much.
Since March 20th, 2020 the citizens of Paris and much of France have been relegated into another lockdown, albeit, this one has been labelled as “lockdown light.” Unlike the last lockdowns, we are allowed to roam freely, (within 10 kilometres of our homes), and without having to have a declaration form filled. However, a curfew has been put in place from 7 pm to 6 am but if we go out after the curfew, we must have the declaration with one of the exceptions checked off, and proof of our home address.
Thanks to my dog since dog walking is one of the exceptions I can go out for an evening walk. I usually take him out around 7 and the city is still busy with people scurrying home from work and doing errands. I haven’t really seen much in the way of enforcement in my neighbourhood, and I haven’t heard any stories of police being unreasonably strict, but it could the situation could be different in other districts.
The cafés and restaurants still remain closed, but a good many of them are now doing take-out, and judging by the number of Ubereats, and Deliveroo delivery people (they are exempted from the curfew) that I see on bicycles these days, the Parisians have really taken to ordering in.
Many shops, deemed non-essential are closed, although I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind how they categorize this. The bookstores were closed during the last confinement, but they fought it, and this time around they remain open, along with the florists. High-end chocolate and pastry shops have fallen under the category of essential shops, as they have been the whole time and I’m not sure how that can be justified, but I think I may have to have been born French to truly be able to rationalize that.
It’s was a little shocking at first to see how the shops that do remain open, are obliged to block off certain areas of goods that the shops that have been deemed non-essential might sell. For example, at the supermarket, the clothing section is cordoned off.
Masks are still mandatory as soon as you walk out your front door, and the Parisians still remain compliant, and for the most part with the social distancing. When I am queued up in the grocery store, for example, the folks behind me waiting for the cash are keeping their distance.
When will things reopen in Paris?
So far, no date has been set to lift the curfew, but the French government has stated that some cultural venues and cafe terraces will be re-opening in mid-May. We will have to see how all of this works out and whether the openings will go ahead.
* "We will progressively lift restrictions at the beginning of May," Macron told the CBS News' "Face the Nation.
When will travel to France resume? Here’s some good news!
French President, Emmanuel Macron has said recently that officials are working on a way to allow for French, European citizens to travel more freely.
And for some really good news, he announced on Monday that restrictions for travel will be relaxing and that Americans who are fully immunized will be able to travel to France in mid-May.
In light of these announcements, I am feeling cautiously optimistic. I sorely miss sharing the treasures of Paris with clients. Keeping fingers crossed, as I’m sure all the Parisians who work in travel and hospitality are too.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/04/18/france-will-reopen-to-vaccinated-americans-this-summer-macron-says/?fbclid=IwAR3iVwVsNLv8MU3bbV04lFTD7KcLdGVkqPy_6wqQHPLP8244Hu9eNxXO8-0&sh=14c34bfe18e4
Early-Winter Update
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 20, 2020.
The citizens of France were warned it was coming and the French government didn’t mess around when they announced the second lockdown, or ‘le confinement’, as they say in French.
The French president formally announced the lockdown on Wednesday evening and stated that it would take place starting at 9 pm on Thursday, October 29 for at least one month. I took most of the day off that day to run errands and do some shopping in preparation for my month-long seclusion. The shops and streets were busy since everyone had the same goal in mind. I stopped to treat myself to some gelato and the stand was busy! I saw folks in front of me buying tubs of the stuff. Even in an emergency, French tastebuds take priority.
So what’s different this time around?
People are a little calmer.
After all, we’ve been through this before. There hasn’t been the frenzied hoarding of toilet paper and other products this time. While I was out running my errands just before the lockdown, a woman in front of me in line at one of the shops made a joke to the clerk when she finished at the checkout by saying, “Bon confinement”, (Have a good confinement) instead of the usual, “Bonne soiree”, (Have a good evening) and we all chuckled.
This time it is not as strict.
More shops are permitted to stay open. Pre-schools, secondary schools and high schools remain open, but universities are running online classes only. Bars, gyms, hair and nail salons, cinemas, and theatres are a no-go. Restaurants and cafes are allowed to open only for take-out orders, and folks don’t have to have it delivered. They are able to go out to pick up orders if they wish.
However, as the number of cases is not coming down quickly enough, police will be cracking down with fines on folks who don’t adhere to the rules. and they will be ramping up the police checks shortly.
The number of cases has skyrocketed
To be honest, the situation in France is not good right now. There has been a surge in cases and hospitalizations in the country, and it’s proving to be worse than the first wave. People who have had to put off surgeries can no longer wait and the hospitals are full throughout the country. During the first wave, it was possible to transfer patients to hospitals in other districts that were less burdened, but now, they are all overwhelmed. And to boot, the health care workers have still not recovered from their exhaustion from battling the first round of the virus. However, this week there was some good news. The curve is flattening and they may be loosening restrictions soon. Although how, we are not certain yet.
The French people are remaining compliant
Surprisingly, this has not changed from the first lockdown, and many are keeping a respectful distance. The Parisians are all putting on their masks as soon as they walk out the doors of their homes. I believe that if someone didn’t wear a mask while out of doors, that they would feel uneasy and out of place.
The French Prime Minister recently warned that they may have to extend the lockdown after December 1st, but they will be loosening the restrictions on small shops so that they can open.
From a culture that will protest and strike at the drop of a hat if they feel the slightest infringements on their rights, a poll released from * ‘Le Parisien’, stated that 71% of French people said that they would accept the lockdown restrictions if they were to continue over Christmas.
The situation in Paris
People seem to be a little less hesitant to leave their homes, although they are only permitted to venture out for specific reasons, such as buying groceries or going to medical appointments. And if your reasons are for exercise, or purchasing essentials, you are not permitted to go beyond a 1 km radius of your home address. There is now a website https://covidradius.info/ and an app that shows you the 1-kilometre radius around your home which is helpful to know.
Out on the streets, things are quiet again, however, there are more people moving about and the road traffic is busier than the first time around even though it is much calmer. I get the impression, from the little interaction I have with other people at the moment, that the Parisians are cautious and fatigued, but not as anxious as they were previously.
Judging by my ‘virtual’ interactions with my Parisian friends, taking solace in good food and wine, seems to be the trick that works well for lessening the confinement blues.
Sources for further reading:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20201031/qa-your-questions-about-frances-second-lockdown-answered
What's It Like In Paris Right Now? - The First Lockdown,
Published May 1, 2020.
Unusually quiet are the first two words that pop into my mind when I ponder this question. The residents of Paris have been under strict lockdown since March 16th, and one of the stipulations is that we are not permitted to travel further than one kilometre from our home address so I can only judge by what I experience in my immediate vicinity.
I have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of traffic that circulates on the normally busy road outside of my residence. In my neighbourhood, most of the businesses are shuttered, and the usual bustling cafe terraces are empty with chairs and tables stacked up inside.
There are many rules we have to adhere to these days, and the police are strict about compliance. Before leaving our homes, we have to fill out a paper form or an application on our phones where we must tick a box of only a few reasons for why we can leave our abode, such as for essential work, to buy necessities or medical appointment. We are not allowed to be out for more than one hour, once per day. If you are stopped by police and aren’t in compliance with the rules, you could face a pretty hefty fine.
Surprisingly, the Parisians are being pretty respectful for the most part. For a country of folks who feel it’s necessary to organize mass demonstrations and strikes as soon as they feel the slightest infringement on perceived rights, it has been heartening to see how co-operative they have been under the circumstances.
Although Parisians are sometimes considered to be cold. “La solidarité”, like solidarity in English, is important to them and this is evident every evening. The one time of the day when there is an injection in life on the street is each night at 8 pm when the Parisians come to their windows or out on their balconies to clap in support of the health-care workers. I join in each evening and enjoy waving to the neighbours across the street, as well as instigating the chain reaction of hoots and hollers up and down the block.
There was a run on toilet paper at the beginning of the lockdown, but it didn’t take folks long to relax about that. The situation certainly wasn’t nearly as critical as it appeared to be in the U.S. I guess in a country where bidets are common, it really isn’t as much of a necessity.
The French seem to be more concerned about keeping stocked up with rosé wine, beer and cigarettes since sales of these items have gone up during the confinement period. Wine shops and tobacconists remain open, as well as butcher shops, bakeries, and cheese shops. These businesses are doing well as people will treat themselves with some more expensive comestibles since they can’t go out for dinner as they once often did. Grocery stores and fruit and vegetable stands also remain open, and many of them are offering delivery services. Some restaurants that only did table service are now offering delivery as well.
The traditional buying habits for baguettes have taken a turn during the time of COVID-19. Baguettes go stale quickly so one of the usual stops on the way home for dinner each day is to pick up a baguette from the local bakery. The French have started buying them in multiples and freezing them to minimize their trips to the bakery. In normal times this would be considered sacrilege.
Grocery shopping has been a bit of a challenge. Disinfectant wipes are hard to come by, and there has been a run on eggs, flour, herbs, and spices since people are cooking and baking at home more. Home-baked goods are not the usual thing here in Paris. In a city where there are exquisite pastry shops on nearly every corner, and small living quarters, hence very small kitchens, it made more sense to pick up your pastries. If you were invited to a dinner party and you presented the hostess with a home-made raspberry tart, you would probably be met with a bemused look from her and the guests. I have rarely seen anything but store-bought pastries at social gatherings here in Paris.
Like wine, cigarettes, and baguettes there is another thing that the French refuse to give up. Even in times of crisis, the “apéro,” which is the custom of meeting on a cafe terrace for a drink with friends after work has been maintained. It has just moved online. It is one of the habits I eagerly adopted when I moved to Paris and I have followed suit. Every Friday evening I get together, virtually, with friends to have an aperitif.
So, to hell with the toilet paper and the protests! I think the Parisians have their priorities straight. How could you not love this city, even during a lockdown?
What is it like where you live? Please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.
