- The head of state announced, in a televised address Thursday, the closure of nurseries and schools from Monday to "slow the spread of the coronavirus".
- Emmanuel Macron also asked all the companies able to set up remote work. Parents wonder how they can continue to work while looking after their children.
- The readers of “20 Minutes” tell us what they plan to do about this unprecedented situation which could last over time.
"Too cooool! Many children jumped for joy Thursday evening, learning from the mouth of the President of the Republic that schools will be closed for a fortnight at least. Their parents wonder how they will be able to take care of it while continuing to work. Sabrina, mother of three children aged 4, 6 and 16, "looks forward to the next few weeks". “I have no one to babysit my children. I am supposed to telecommute but I do not see how I will be able to organize myself between work, taking care of children and school at a distance, ”she testified to 20 Minutes . Some, like Christine, have "the chance to work for a large industrial group" which authorizes teleworking.
However, this possibility is not available to everyone. "My husband works in an insurance agency, he is in contact with customers, it is not possible to telecommute," said Julie, a Parisian mother of three. Sandrine, who is raising her 16-month-old son on her own, also wonders how she will do "with the closure of the crèche". "I have professional constraints," says the young woman from northern France and living in the Lyon region. She plans to "go on sick leave" even if it is "not the right solution". Camille and her companion are the managers of a restaurant and a pastry shop. "We must continue to manage our businesses and take care of our children who will no longer be in school," she says.
"On call with colleagues"
A difficult situation to manage, especially since the couple is facing "many booking cancellations and a drop in attendance". In addition, one of their employees "has children too and she will have to keep them". So how do you do it? "I will ask my loved ones for help a few hours a day as much as possible," assures Annie. Rose, for her part, will babysit her five grandchildren aged 3 to 15. "It's normal," says this grandmother, who nevertheless has fears for the health of her husband who has a heart condition and suffers from respiratory failure. She feels "torn between my husband who must not approach this virus which would be fatal to him, and the request of my children".
"We want at all costs to avoid custody by the grandparents since, given their age, these are at risk" recalls Céline, mother of a 3 year old girl. His spouse being self-employed, "he cannot stop his activity". "There is only me left" to take care of their daughter. She is considering "perhaps an alternate custody with colleagues". Some couples organize and share the task. "With my husband, we will arrange to have a rotation next week: he will babysit the children Monday and Tuesday, and me Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," says Mélanie. She is going to "suggest to mothers in the neighborhood to keep one or two more children, for those who have no solution".
"I don't know which of the two will be the most difficult to manage!" "
Above all, what to do with the children, who already imagine themselves on extended holidays, during this period of confinement? "We will do school at home, it is not a source of concern for us," says Camille. Sabrina, who lives in the Oise, has already organized herself. “Thanks to the Cned (National Center for Distance Education), we can ensure the continuity of the courses, even if the children would prefer to be with friends in class. In order not to make them feel too isolated, she "offers them fun activities" and tries to spend "maximum time" with them after her day of teleworking. "It strongly strengthens our family ties," she notes.
Marion's children will not escape homework either. "We will try to keep the same pace as at school, with a little more flexibility," she adds. “The mornings will be devoted to written work and the afternoon to viewing cultural reports. Lucie will have to take care of her 6-year-old son ... But also of her 40-year-old husband, whose business trips have been canceled. And this news, she says with humor, hardly enchants him. “I don't know which of the two will be the most difficult to manage! "
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VIDEO. Coronavirus: Closure of schools, distance courses, maintenance of exams… What will happen to the students?
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