Parisians flee French capital for lockdown in countryside
DESPERATE to avoid life in cramped conditions without bars, restaurants and fresh air, thousands of Parisians fled the capital hours before France went into nationwide lockdown yesterday.
Braving cumulative tailbacks of 430 miles in and around the Ile-de-france region, many motorists were intent on avoiding a second confinement stint in the city that officially will last a month but many fear will drag on far longer. Heavy traffic was reported around other cities, including Bordeaux and Lyon.
A stay-at-home directive from Emmanuel Macron, the president, came into force at midnight local time on Thursday night, which only allows people to leave home for essential reasons, such as work or food. Residents will have to fill in forms with a valid reason for them to leave their homes. That prompted an exodus by people seeking to swap cramped apartment living for the countryside, as well as families heading home from a half-term break.
Pauline Delusier, 27, a freelance artistic director, and her boyfriend Valentin David, 26, an internet consultant, were preparing to leave for a gîte near Sens in Burgundy they will share with three friends, working remotely. “We did the first lockdown here, and it was pretty tough. We don’t want to go through it again,” she told The Telegraph.
The French government has promised “tolerance” so that “everyone can return from their vacation spot, so that families can organise themselves”. Schools are staying open.
Belgium, too, was facing a new strict lockdown last night, closing all nonessential shops and banning homes from receiving visitors except for a single “cuddle contact”.
Belgium had the EU’S highest rate of infections yesterday, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In the past fortnight, there were 1,609 confirmed infections per 100,000 inhabitants, a rise of 186 per cent on the two weeks before.
“We are going back into a strict lockdown, which has only one purpose: to ensure that our healthcare system does not collapse,” said Alexander De Croo, the prime minister as he announced the measures, which build on existing midnight curfew rules.
Belgium’s borders will not close, but travel is discouraged. Working from home is mandatory where possible. The new rules will last until Dec 13.
The government said each home was only allowed one visitor, who must also be the designated hug-buddy for someone living alone. That “knuffelcontact” in Dutch is someone outside a household you can have close contact with.
The cuddle contact rule was introduced to safeguard the mental health of people living alone during lockdown. People living alone are allowed two hug-buddies under the new rules.