I remember how it all began.
The very first talk about the need to impose a curfew last March was perceived by the French as something very terrible: it was thrown back during the German occupation.
Empty, dead streets immediately appeared.
On them there are groups of patrolmen, all in black leather coats, with dogs, of course, growling, with a grin, ready to rush at the first comer.
Arrests for violation of the regime.
Discussed separate prisons for covid dissidents.
In general, the picture is so-so.
Of course, far from reality.
And now this measure has even become customary - the lesser of evils.
After all, they could have introduced a third nationwide quarantine - in general, everyone was closed to their homes.
They still threaten to do this if the numbers do not move down.
Today in France there are already over 70 thousand deaths from COVID-19, there are as many new patients in this country as in the whole of Russia - more than 20 thousand a day.
There were Christmas holidays, there were travels, trips, new strains appeared - there are many reasons.
There is no clear plan of action.
The head of the Ministry of Health, Olivier Veran, said honestly: we are experimenting, empirically looking for a balance between economic consequences and the sanitary situation.
While stopped at a curfew from 18:00 to 06:00.
You need to be at home during these 12 hours.
And for those who work remotely, it turns out that you need to be at home almost all the time.
Not much, I can tell you, differs from the usual lockdown.
Let's say you work remotely from 09:00 to 18:00.
And then - that's it, no walks down the street, no "I'll go get some air, I'll get some air."
Run?
You can't.
Bicycle?
You can't.
No sports.
Not outdoors, not inside.
All fitness centers are still closed.
Sports complexes, gyms, stadiums do not work.
Competitions and matches are held, if they are, then without spectators, behind closed doors.
Lucky for those who have a dog.
You can go out with her, but within a kilometer from the house and filling out a special document.
The Canadian option will not work.
There the woman put a leash around her husband's neck and went for a walk with him, calling him her dog.
The police did not appreciate their high relations and issued a fine to each of $ 1.5 thousand. In France, the fines are lower: for violation of the curfew - € 135.
The cunning French will now again start renting out their pets, and people will walk them in turns until the dog itself is knocked down from fatigue.
As for the shops, they will also be closed from now on exactly at 18:00.
And for many now this is a problem.
Previously, people ran for groceries on the way home (everything worked until 20:00).
Now the last visitor can enter half an hour before closing time - at 17:30.
One of the IT companies decided to chip in and buy a small refrigerator for all employees.
They put in it what they bought at lunchtime, and take it home in the evening.
And while part of the team goes to buy groceries, the other is ordering lunch for everyone.
It is inconvenient, of course, but it rallies.
The problem is that on weekends (or rather, on Saturday - on Sundays everything is closed) the shops will be packed with people.
Now in some supermarkets they began to put an electronic scoreboard at the entrance, which keeps track of the allowed number of people inside.
The trolley is required - this is how the distance is guaranteed.
Even if you went to buy one bottle of water, you won't be allowed to go without a cart (at least in Belgium).
In general, from 18:00 in France all trade stops, except for pharmacies.
What about restaurants?
They still cannot receive visitors - just like cafes and bars.
Everyone does their best: they pack takeaway dishes, take them home.
Some make a kind of terrace where the client can stand and wait for his order.
Others make the same portable bars: you need to take the drink with you, making way for a new visitor.
But if large groups gather at the point, they can cover the bar.
Now, according to the new rules, after the onset of the curfew, you cannot even go to pick up the order.
Home delivery only and only until 22:00.
Another nuance: the curfew led to the formation of giant traffic jams from 17:00 to 18:00 hours.
So few people fit into the set time frame.
In addition, the load on public transport has increased significantly.
Many have already started talking about the fact that they will have to bring up additional forces and bring emergency personnel to the line, because the influx of people in buses and the subway does not allow them to maintain any distance at all.
But trains run, planes fly.
Travel has not been canceled.
If you come back late, you need to download the explanatory note from the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
You can travel long distances by car, but you need to have time to complete the journey before the onset of curfew.
The borders are open.
To get to France from outside the EU, you need a negative PCR test, then isolation for a week and another test.
No one stands at the border inside the European Union, so the car is still free.
What else can you do: leave your home for the pharmacy after 18:00, provide emergency assistance to relatives, pick up children from school after 18:00 (again, if you have an explanatory paper), appear for interrogation, perform various work on the street, provided that the employer himself will issue a certificate with the seal.
You can also go to demonstrations.
And this point confuses me from the very beginning of the pandemic.
France has its own sacred cow, which should not be touched under any sanitary circumstances and wars - manifestations.
They take place regularly, every Saturday, gathering thousands of people together.
And here's what's important.
Face masks must be worn on the streets and in all public places.
Except when you eat, drink, smoke, and, apparently, just when you score and walk in the crowd as you please.
Nobody will catch you and fine you, although they should.
So the whole crowd is constantly chewing something or slowly, sip drinks for an hour.
In fact, they walk with the masks down - for a long time.
Nearby slogans are shouting, songs are shouting.
Yes, even if they stand, as it was not so long ago on Republic Square.
I remember we made our way from one side to the other for about half an hour: there were so many people that there was nowhere to put our feet - a very dense crowd.
Chin masks, communicate freely, hug.
I wonder how many new patients appear after each such expression of popular anger?
And in other cities, they turn a blind eye to restrictions.
In the south, in Nice, almost no one on the street wears masks, not even the police themselves.
Such carelessness, coupled with fatigue from forced new restrictions, leads to the fact that the numbers are growing.
Of course, new, more infectious strains also do not help, but if people do not follow the rules, then the effect of the measures taken can not be expected.
You can discuss as much as you like why the start of the vaccination campaign in France, where only 500 people were vaccinated in the first week, will not change the picture.
The effect of vaccinations can be seen not earlier than summer at best, but for now you have to endure.
They no longer want to endure - they can’t bear it.
In many respects, therefore, the fight against COVID-19 is being delayed and is pulling more and more areas of economic life to the bottom, and at the same time it seems that all the measures taken are chaotic and useless.
A vicious circle that cannot be broken without tough decisions, for which you have to pay with a falling political rating.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.