Living in Paris at the Height of the Pandemic

With a suitcase full of summer clothes and the intention to stay for just the summer, I arrived to visit my family in the suburbs of Paris. Spoiler alert: I ended up staying over a year and I got to see exactly how the COVID-19 pandemic faired across the ocean, in France.

The first time my family and I had heard of the Coronavirus was from a post on social media. Like most of us, I thought it was awful that China was suffering so heavily from this new mystery virus, but I didn’t think that it would take over all of our lives. I started seeing the words “COVID-19” and “Coronavirus” more and more online as cases starting rising in countries other than China.

The destruction only seemed to be picking up its pace in China and other countries and I could only hope that the virus could be tamed or controlled. As a student at the time, I often got scared going to school and catching the virus.

In the very beginning, none of my friends or anyone I knew in France seemed to be too concerned about the virus taking over the country like I was. We weren’t required to wear face masks at the time (around January of 2019) so I carried around hand sanitizer wherever I went, avoided touching surfaces, and tried to stay away from others.

Then, in March of 2019, my family and I were invited to a family wedding in the UK. We heavily debated on whether or not to attend since COVID cases were rising all over the world and at one point we had decided not to go after all. However, we decided that family was important and that we would practice all of the new COVID guidelines.

On the ferry, it was odd seeing everyone wear masks (now required) and people stayed away from us and we stayed away from them. I had a cold at the time and coughed. Big mistake.

Everyone looked at me with fear and anger in their eyes. “You better not have COVID and you better stay away from me” they seemed to say with their eyes as they shuffled further away. Also, certain things were closed in the kitchens so the menu was limited.

On the last few days of our trip to the UK, we heard that Emmanuel Macron, the President of France was going to be giving an address to the nation. The house was full of speculation and theories. Would we be allowed to return back home to France? Would there be new laws to contain the virus? Macron made a shocking address.

He announced (among many other things), that schools would be closed and shifted online, non-essential shops and businesses would be closing, and France’s borders would be closed except for those returning home. The citizens of France were shocked as these were the first major restrictions since the start of the outbreak.

Just like that, I would no longer be going to school, seeing my orthodontist (I had to take a picture of my braces with a metal spoon contraption that resembled a medieval torture device and send it to via email), or going out for fun.

On the way back to France from the brief UK visit, as I was sitting in my car waiting for the ferry to arrive. I noticed that only a few people left the cars while we all waited. Most people stayed in their cars while an eerie, apocalyptic sounding announcement played on repeat about the virus and reminders to sanitize your hands and stay away from others on the ferry.

At that moment, at almost midnight, I truly wondered what was happening to the world. I experienced true horror and anxiety at what this virus had done to us. This stuff belongs in a dystopian science fiction novel; not real life! From this point on (dubbed “Quarantine Season 1”), life was never the same and changed rapidly.

Like a lot of families in France, my family had a ritual and strict guidelines for going grocery shopping. Only one person went to get all of the groceries and the first thing they did once they got back was put their clothes in the wash and take a shower. The groceries were often laid out in the sun on the driveway and then brought inside a few hours later to heavily disinfect. Mail, groceries, and anything else from the increasingly distant “outside world” were handled like radioactive material.

I noticed that the French took the pandemic much more seriously than Americans. For the French, masks weren’t a political topic and they followed all guidelines properly. It was common to see the French wearing gloves at the grocery store and practicing more “extreme” ways to prevent contracting the virus. Even though the United States was gathering more cases than France, I saw lots of my friends back home posting them breaking social distancing guidelines freely. I did not see that here in France and people seemed to be very serious about beating this virus together.

As the springtime approached and the weather got warmer, my family noticed something strange: planes were constantly flying over our neighborhood in circles. After many days of the planes circling us like hawks, we eventually got used to the whirring, buzzing noise of the small planes. However, we were still as confused as ever. Who was flying these planes and why?

My uncle asked our neighbors and did some research. Shockingly, according to his research, those planes were being flown by police to make sure social distancing rules were not being breached. If, let's say someone was having a party with 20 people, and the plane saw that from the sky, the pilot would contact police on the ground. The pilot would let the police know of the location and the police would quickly make their way to the location to give those breaking the rules a gift: a hefty fine of thousands of dollars.

As hospitals overflowed and doctors were overworked as new COVID patients came in every day, several European countries decided to do a sweet, collective gesture for healthcare professionals on the frontline and for essential workers.

In my neighborhood, every day for about a few weeks, we all stood outside in our gardens our balconies, and clapped. We clapped to show our appreciation for medical professionals risking their lives every day to help combat the virus. We clapped for essential workers in grocery stores and bakeries who helped us stay fed and safe. And we clapped for all of us; because it “would be over soon” and to show support and love to one another.

In my suburban neighborhood, lots of people joined in; some even honking their car horns. In the main Paris area, more people participated and the cheering was even louder. Every day as I stood in my garden, I got chills at how beautiful humanity could be in the face of tragedy when we all banded together. It was a beautiful experience like no other. Despite all of us being cooped up in our homes, like the rest of the world, the French found ways to keep quarantine and lockdown fun.

Some of my friends from France created groups on Snapchat and posted daily makeup and skincare tips. My family and I tried new recipes and started gardening a lot to pass the time. Being on lockdown and being separated from my cousin who lives a few minutes away from me was frustrating, but we both called each other often and made the most of our unique situation.

Just today, I took my second COVID test. My local medical lab offers COVID testing in the morning. The line today was longer since it was Friday, but the wait wasn’t long. The first time I got tested, I waited in line for about 5 minutes. There was a separate line for COVID testing and the entire process was efficient and organized. Eventually, life reached its “new normal”. Restrictions and attitudes started easing and life seemed to reach a relatively normal state (or as normal as you can get during a pandemic). Currently, there is a 6 pm curfew, and malls are closed. However, what the future holds for France, is unknown.