Corona Diaries

Josephine

“I remember being worried about being so close to people on the plane, in the airport, especially having to

change flight in Paris. A father and his son were wearing masks and coughing just in front of me on the

plane”.

Background information

Female, Lived in Italy more than 12 years and 4 years in the UK, Now Living in France. Currently Working in Admin. Changed jobs and environments quiet often, can adapt very quickly. Speaks English and French.

Just before the lockdown: February 2020 I was living in Italy until February 2020. I had decided to move back to France, to my region of origin since

last year and my deadline was set in February as I had a few situations coming to an end. In the previous

months I had been looking for a job in France and I had found a job to start on 1st of March 2020, in the city

centre. In February, while I was still working in Italy, the Coronavirus situation started to look pretty bad

especially in North Italy. However, people started to suspect that the situation could get worse. Some of my

colleagues were pretty worried. I remember going to a meeting in a hotel on the 24th of February and the

reception employees were wearing masks which seemed then pretty odd and a little scary. I also saw a

delivery guy wearing a mask and thought that the situation was starting to change. On the 26th of February I

flew back to France with my many/big suitcases and my mum picked me up at the airport. I remember

being worried about being so close to people on the plane, in the airport, especially having to change flight

in Paris. A father and his son were wearing masks and coughing just in front of me on the plane.

The following day, (my first day in France) I got a call from the new company I was going to work for. They were aware that I was just coming back

from Italy and they were calling to let me know that the company had decided, as a measure of safety, to

ask me to stay at home for 14 days. So instead of going to the office I would get a company laptop and

work from home. That was quite a funny situation to start a new job from home. After 10 days they finally

decided that I could go to work to the office (Rome not being in the critical area of Italy with coronavirus,

they had shortened my quarantine). So, I went to the office for a week, and met my colleagues. At the end

of that week, this is when everything starts quickly to move towards the lockdown. In the meantime, my

friends in Italy were telling me to be so careful and that France will most certainly end up in the same

situation. On Thursday 12th March President Macron announces that schools will be closed from the

following Monday. On Saturday 14th March, Prime Minister Philippe announces that bars and restaurants

will be closed from tonight at midnight. Quite a tough news for restaurant owners who complained after that

they had prepared and bought food for the following days and that the government should have given them

some more notice... and I guess that’s fair enough.

Last weekend of freedom before lockdown.14th /15th of March 2020, I bought a second hand bicycle from a

camping on 14th March. By this time the lockdown was not in force and we did not know that this was going

to happen. Because of my friends in Italy, I was feeling that it could happen so I enjoyed every second of

my freedom on that day. I can’t wait to ride this bicycle again. During the lockdown, cycling is forbidden,

except if you need to go to work or shopping.

Beginning of lockdown On Monday 16th of March 2020, Rumours are talking about the lockdown for 45 days!! Rumours (in the office) are saying that Macron is

going to talk tonight on TV and that he will announce that we will have to choose a place to stay for the next

45 days. As I had just come back from Italy I was staying temporarily at a family beach house. I had found

an apartment to live in, but it was available only from April. On that day our boss tells us to take all our

laptops, screens and all the material we need to start working from home. This is a decision of the

company, everybody is going to work from home. On that evening I feel very strange and before going to

the beach house, I decide to take a moment to go to the ocean to breathe sea air for a couple of minutes.

As we may not be able to breathe that air and see this beautiful ocean for a long time. This specific moment

is moving and intense for me. I suddenly realize how scared I am to get locked down and how important

and dramatic is that historic time. I can't believe we are actually living this and I start crying. On Monday

evening Macron talks in TV and announces that the lockdown will start on Tuesday 17th March at 12.00 for

only 14 days. But we all know that this is very likely going to last longer. During the day I was wondering if

staying at the beach house by myself was a good idea while I have the other option of going to the

countryside to stay with my mum. I finally decide for the countryside, for several reasons: we won’t be alone

me and my mum if this really last 45 days and I will have more space to move in the garden and more

options to keep myself busy with gardening.

I must confess something: I have, like many others, been “panic-shopping” with food in the previous days,

as suggested by my friends in Italy who are themselves struggling with shopping in Italy (long queues in

front of the supermarkets, people giving you gloves at the entrance and so on).So on Tuesday 17th March I

have lots of things to bring to my mum’s house, including food, work station, clothes and again I get my

suitcase full (the suitcase that I had just emptied from Italy a couple of weeks ago) and I leave the house at

6 o’clock in the morning. My mum’s house is about 3 hours drive and I want to be there to start at a decent

time to work from home. We are kind of controlled as we are constantly connected on skype enterprise

while we work. On that night I am quite nervous and I woke up at 3 o'clock in the morning and could not

sleep anymore. I am probably going to remember those two days 16 and 17th March and as the most

traumatic days of this experience. The atmosphere at the office before the lockdown was unique and

driving and arriving in Dordogne before 12:00 added up to the stress of that moment.

17th of March 2020 I drive to start the lockdown at my mum’s. This means moving my personal things but also my work station

from the office. As we will apply the quarantine strictly (mum over 70 years old) I need to organise the

kitchen angle (which was never really used) at the first floor. I will be able to cook and wash dishes without

touching anything that my mum will touch. My worry is that I could have caught the virus during the last

days in the office.

During the first two weeks of quarantine: During the first two weeks at my mum’s we decide to apply strictly

the quarantine’s measures. The house is big and we have the possibility to use separate bathrooms and

kitchen. She lives at the ground floor and I live at the first floor. During the first two weeks we eat separately

except for lunches that we do together in the garden at each extremity of the table. The first week feels to

be very quick as I need to get used to this new environment and find the best configuration for work / free

time in the same rooms. I found that the second week was more time to realize what had happened and a

bit of sadness. During the first two weeks I had lots of contacts with all my friends. Phone calls,

«apérovideo»

First week of Quarantine (17th March) View from the window. My bedroom is my office (up) I am working on the same desk that I used when I was

at school.

Evening meals during the first 14 days at my mum’s. We do not share dinners to avoid contacts (just in

case) For me Netflix or series are on. Over March-April I watched: “Unorthodox ““Perfect Life (Spanish

serie)”“Good girls” I enjoyed all of them

Eating on a tray that I had got in university. Probably stolen by someone a long time ago in a fast-food..

19th March 2020 First walk around the neighbourhood. Lunch Table. To keep social distance with my mum.

21st March 2020 First weekend in quarantine. Running and bringing trash to the bins is on top of the exciting things to do I

start to work in the garden. I have big projects .. If the quarantine is due to last, I want to feel useful

22nd March 2020 Attracted by the smells of food in the garden at lunchtime, we suddenly see a new friend appearing.. She is

quite young. I would say 7 months maybe, thin and hungry. She stays with me while I am in the garden,

she is not shy at all.

29th March 2020 (second weekend) Second section of the garden completed. The cat has a now got a name: Paola And she

now sleeps in a box on our terrace. To thank us for this new home, she has brought a dead robin in front of

our window. Twice. (she is really really grateful..)

The“attestation de déplacementdérogatoire” This must be filled and signed every time we go out. Westrick

the reason why we are going out. Main reasons is for essential shopping or limited physical activity. To get

the pdf and find text https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R55781Physical activity (running,

walking) is limited.

24th March 2020 we are limited to one hour, hence we must state the time and date and to one kilometre radius from our

house. Some young guys have created this website to see exactly how far from your house is

1kmhttps://www.covidradius.info/

Stay with us... more to come! In the next episodes I will talk about my month of April, the alcohol

consumption during COVID lockdown, Shopping during lockdown, The exciting growth of my tomatoes

plants, And let’s not forget to talk about Love distance relationships during COVID Lockdown Extract of the

next episode in the last slide ..shopping is different as we order now our vegetables from the Facebook

page of a market seller