The title of my blog is so apropro right now. Everyone in Paris in watching life out their windows. On Wednesday night at 8pm, everyone who has a terrace went outside and clapped. Those who didn’t, leaned out the window and clapped. We were clapping for all the doctors and healthcare workers, the pharmacists who are showing up for work every day. They have extraordinary courage. It was very moving standing on my terrace listening and clapping. Below me, some of my neighbours were making whooping up loud calls. I was sent a video of a woman singing opera on her terrace. When she finished, the cheers were breathtaking.
What is the mood here? It depends who you ask, I guess. My mood is grateful and mostly content. I am well prepared to be inside for 6 weeks. We are allowed outside with our little “passports” to go to the pharmacy and the markets. What is the “passport”? Everyone was sent a form to be printed out. If we want to leave our dwellings, we fill our the form with our name and address and the reason we are outside. There are 5 approved reasons. 1–to go to the market; 2–to go to the pharmacy; 3–if you have a medical appointment; 4–exercise with the understanding that we will stay 10 feet away from other people (however cycling is completely banned); 5–to aid an elderly person or disabled person. We are on the honor system as to what we give as our reason. We need a new paper for each time we leave our homes. If the police stop us and we don’t have our paper, we will be fined at least 130 euros. On Tuesday, the first day, the police gave out 4000 fines.
The markets are stocked. My little corner store had toilet paper on Wednesday. The pharmacy had gloves today. I’m skilled on Zoom platform and have taught my Book Group how to use it. We will stay connected and still have our monthly get-togethers. About the only thing I can’t control is what is going to happen next. I am very aware I can’t control it so I’m not worrying. It seems to me to be a waste of energy. When I went to the pharmacy, everyone older than 40 was wearing a mask. While everyone younger (this is a gross exageration of course) were walking side by side. I saw three youths smashed into the front seats of a very small car. But on the whole, my arrondissement now looks like Paris in August.
However I’m told that the traditional french Apéro is not forsaken. People especially students are sending out invites on Zoom and Skype to join each other for an Apéro (the before dinner drink with snacks) that is a custom especially on Fridays.
As of today, there are 10,000 reported cases in France. The papers say that the numbers double every day. There is not yet widespread testing so the country’d health minister thinks the number is closer to 20,000. The death toll stands at more than 300 and rising every day. In the east of the country, which is the worst affected, a military hospital has been set up after local medical services were overwhelmed with the sheer number of cases. (The Local)
With these numbers, it’s important to remember that 97% of cases recover and 50% of that number doesn’t get terribly sick. So far, I know of no one among my friends who has it or has had it.
The sun is setting on another day of lockdown. I think of my parents who lived through the depression and then WWII. That’s 25 years of not knowing what the future would hold. This is the first time in my lifetime that I’ve experienced a world crisis like this. But it’s not the first time it has happened. My parents lived through it and so will we. Almost time to go to my terrace and clap.
A bientôt,
Sara
Out My Window 
Thanks Sarah, Everything except grocery stores and pharmacies is closed in California. I am enjoying my time at home, but I do have my younger two grandchildren several days a week. We are living in strange times Stay well. Mary
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Our parents and grandparents fought the war with in trenches with guns, bombs etc. We are fighting this war on our couch!
Grateful in Northern California!
Sara, Very special to have you as an open window into events in Paris. New York is about to go into a more significant lockdown (than we’ve had). Best wishes. Keep it coming. I’m doing a diary in my blog from Westchester (where they’ve been a significant number of cases).
What an interesting, upbeat post on your blog today. Thank you, Sarah, for your perspective and for sharing a sense of what life is like in Paris during the coronavirus pandemic.
Hi Sara, I really appreciate this post. I’m in Albany NY. The whole state is already quasi shut down and tomorrow starts a more intensive approach, where we are supposed to stay inside except for essential trips. Today I went for a walk and ordered takeout food delivered, possibly the last time for both for awhile. Albany has run out of tests, and they were never testing everyone who got sick, let alone all their contacts, so the virus has been spreading for awhile without being fully monitored. In addition the hospitals are running out of ventilators, so the death rate will probably be higher for those who get sick. Thus I think it is increasingly risky to go outside at all. I am grateful for my comfortable apartment and for the Internet. I only hope that the networks stay functional. I am even more grateful for those who continue to work in medical and service and food production jobs. I wish I could clap for them, but there have not been any events like the one you describe. Be well!