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HEALTH

Concern grows in France about complacency as coronavirus cases increase

Worried about a second wave of Covid-19 cases, health authorities have urged the French to maintain hygiene measures during the holidays. But with summer in the air and the memory of the nationwide lockdown slowly fading away, have the French become too complacent? Olivia Sorrel-Dejerine explores.

Concern grows in France about complacency as coronavirus cases increase
People sit on a bank of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris after France eased lockdown measures in May. Photo: AFP

For a few weeks just after France began to ease its nationwide lockdown, walking down the streets of Paris was a radically different experience to normal.

Right and left, pedestrians clad in protective face masks carefully kept an appropriate distance.

In shops, restaurants and cafés people could be seen using hand sanitising gel to ward off potential coronavirus particles. Friends stopped greeting each other with the usual double (sometimes treble) cheek-kiss that is so typical for France, and resorted to an awkward elbow bump instead.

 

Nearly two months into this new “normal”, authorities worry that the – initially rigorous – collective respect for the government's health advice has turned into complacency that, in a worst-case scenario – could spark a resurgence of the epidemic.

“This summer could go very well, but only if measures of social distancing are kept,” said Jean-François Delfraissy, president of the Scientific Council convened by the French government to advise on coronavirus-related measures.

“I am struck by the fact that this is no longer the case,” he told French media.

On Friday public health agency Santé Publique France had some more concerning news.

The agency said “the circulation of the virus was progressing”, albeit at a low level.

It also said the famous R-rate – the reproduction rate of the virus – had risen above 1 and was well above 1 in certain regions of the country such as Pays-de-la-Loire and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

If the R-rate rises above 1 it means every Covid-positive person on average spreads the virus to more than one person.

There were numerous active clusters being investigated around the country and Le Parisien newspaper reported an increase of infections along children, believed to be linked to the reopening of schools.

 

Delfraissy is not the only public figure who has warned the French about becoming careless.

Asked about whether the French were “slacking off” on protective measures, Health Minister Olivier Véran reminded that it was important that the country “don't forget them” in an interview with BFMTV. 

“I am not anxious by nature, but I am an observer. I can tell that there has been slacking off in all social spheres”, he said. 

 

Jerome Salomon, the head of France's national health agency, also warned about a second wave of coronavirus cases in an interview with the Figaro newspaper.

“What we have to understand is that the epidemic's resurgence will depend on our behaviour,” he said.  

So have the French become careless?

While the government has relaxed most of the strict health rules in place during lockdown, a number of rules and guidelines remain in place.

However many of these rules are merely advisory and sometimes it's hard to enforce them. Face masks is one such example – it is mandatory on all public transport, but only recommended on the street or in the company of others (except in some public spaces).

“I wore the face mask until recently, but when I realised that nobody around me was wearing it, I stopped because I thought I looked silly,” said Léa, 23.

Léa was walking in Paris with her friends, Adrien and Pauline, all in their 20s. All three admitted to having relapsed into old habits in the weeks since the lockdown ended.
 
Léa said she had gone back to greeting her friends – but not strangers – with a la bise.

La bise is the long-standing French tradition of greeting each other with kisses on the cheek. The government asked the French to stop doing la bise during the pandemic to limit the spread of covid-19. 

Léa said declining to kiss or hug could be tricky in some social contexts. 

“One time, I didn’t want to do la bise to a girl, but she told me I had to relax, that she wasn’t sick,” she said.

“Finally, I did it, although it really bothered me.”

Charlotte said she was not afraid of being straightforward when she didn’t feel like cheek-kissing.

“I just greet people with my elbow now,” she said.

But Adrien said: “I more often do the bise than not.”

“Now that gatherings such as fête de la musique are happening again, I think it’s ok”, he said.

Fête de la musique is an annual musical event in the end of June where cities all over France turn into street parties with pop-up concerts on sidewalks and in bars and restaurant.

The government was criticised for not having cancelled the event this year, which attracted quite large crowds, especially in Paris.

IN PICS: France shakes off its Covid blues with Fête de la Musique street party

“Hygiene barriers have fallen really quickly,” Emmanuelle, 45, told The Local.

“Some protective measures are kept in place, people are wearing face masks in the bus and in most shops, but I still think people aren’t being careful enough,” she said.

She and her family had however firmly stuck to their new coronavirus health routines.

“I don’t do la bise, and people around me don't either, we wash our hands all the time, she said.

Emmanuelle was still working from home.

“My boy is six years old, and at school they are being really careful, they apply all the protective measures”, she said.

Daniel, 74, also told The Local he was still being very careful.

“I wash my hands even more, it has become obsessive,” he said, adding:

“Sometimes when I am taking a walk in the neighbourhood I stop at the park to wash them because they put fountains with soap.”

Some in France fear that, as has been the case in other countries, younger people are more careless about health routines than older people, who have a higher risk of getting seriously ill from the virus.

In Paris, participants at “improvised” street parties known as “ProjectX” were criticised for not complying with general rules of social distancing.

 

“Will this relaxation have consequences?” the scientific council's Delfraissy asked, before replying that a second wave was “likely to return in October or November.”

“It is essentially our behaviour that determines whether or not we recover from the pandemic,” he said.

What's your view? Are people in France being complacent about hygiene measures?

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 tips to have the best possible night at France’s Fête de la musique

It can be the most fun day of the year - when France goes music crazy and bands suddenly appear on every street corner - but there are some tips to make your Fête de la musique experience as good as it can possibly be.

5 tips to have the best possible night at France's Fête de la musique

First, a caveat – this is an entirely personal manifesto based on the things that I have enjoyed over my Fête de la Musique outings over the years. It’s not intended as any kind of hard-and-fast rule and plenty of people will have different experiences.

Feel free to disagree and/or share your festival tips in the comments section below!

1 Ignore the big-name artists

There are always a few big-name artists or concerts in major venues on the Fête de la musique (which happens every year on June 21st).

Ignore them. Sure, stadiums gigs can be great and huge venues can have a wonderful atmosphere – but you can do that any night of the year. It’s not what Fête de la musique is about.

The true spirit of the Fête is the smaller acts who play on street corners, in bars and community venues. They’re free, you can wander between them and stay as long as you like – and there is always something else around the corner.

2 Ignore the big towns

You might think that the big cities have the best music, but if you have the choice, go for a small town or a suburb.

I’ve enjoyed some good Fêtes in Paris, but the best experiences had have been smaller towns or the Paris’ suburbs (Montreuil is good – a commune that carefully cultivates a small-town / village vibe, albeit a very diverse small town where everyone is a hippy, a leftist, or both).

It’s partly a practicality thing – in big cities the acts are spread out and you have to make plans to see something and meet up with friends. In small towns, you just wander along to the main square, then when you’ve seen the acts there, you can saunter up the side streets, each of which will have dozens of bands playing, pausing only to grab a beer and snacks.

But it’s also the vibe; in big cities you can hear good live music all the time and the population is consequently complacent – small towns truly appreciate the Fête de la musique and properly go wild.

Once, in Paris, I was watching a blues band play in the street when a woman tipped water on their heads from her apartment window because she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. Small towns appreciate it when bands play for them.

3 Experiment

There’s a lot of variety on the night, so take advantage – this is your opportunity to hear all kinds of live music from rock to swing, jazz to classical, choirs to DJs.

Didn’t think that a five-piece oud band is your thing? Fête de la musique may change your mind. It’s the night of the year when anything goes, musically, so it’s also the night to try something new.

If you hate it – well it’s free and there’s another band down the street that might be more your thing. But you might discover a lifetime passion for oud music – in fact, by this time next year you might be playing in the oud band. Thanks to the Fête de la musique.

4 Don’t insist on quality

You’ll hear some great bands, but you’ll also hear some that are more about enthusiasm – and that’s all part of the fun.

You’re going to be hearing everything from classic rock to reggae to blues to the above-mentioned five-piece oud band, and as well as the styles the quality may be variable to.

For me, the true spirit of Fête de la musique is the 50-year-old accountant rocking out on his guitar and enjoying the one night of the year when he can dream that if only he hadn’t given up on his high school band, he could now be rich, famous and selling out stadiums, as opposed to filing tax declarations in an office above the florist.

5 Dress comfortably

Some people like to dress up for the Fête and that’s great – it’s a party after all – but the key thing is to wear something that is comfortable and allows you to shake your stuff.

Yes, you will be dancing – you’ll be dancing on street corners, in parks, cafés and perhaps on street furniture if things really get going, and you’ll be dancing with kids, dapper 70-year-old gents and everyone in between.

You need comfortable shoes and clothes that you can really move in.

Dance like no-one is watching. They may be watching, but they won’t be judging. Much. It’s Fête de la musique.

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