Hisham Abu Maryam - Paris

Bushra Al-Rami, 25, has returned to her parents ’home in the eastern city of Mais (about 500 km from the capital, Paris) from Paris, due to the strict quarantine measures imposed by the French government in order to limit the spread of the Corona virus, especially in the French capital where he lives. More than 13 million people are concentrated in major companies and private and public institutions.

The French telecommunications company "Orange" published a report a few days ago, confirming that more than 1.2 million French people left Paris towards various French cities and countryside, by tracking the movements of people using geolocation data for their phones during the first week of quarantine, which indicates That this percentage will increase at a rapid pace, as will spread in other French cities.

Governmental concerns

The southern city of Toulouse was ranked second, with more than one hundred thousand people leaving in just a week, towards the neighboring cities, which raised the French government's concerns about the spread of the virus more broadly and quickly, and called on citizens to adhere to quarantine and threatened to fine the violators.

Over a million French people left Paris for other regions (social media)

The government also reduced transport traffic for intercity trains and buses, and now does not exceed 7% of all daily trips.

It is noteworthy that the French Interior Minister, Christophe Kastner, renewed yesterday his call to the people of Paris to adhere to the procedures of quarantine and refrain from traveling in the coming days, especially since the annual school leave for the month of April starts tomorrow, Friday, and usually witnesses a heavy travel of the Parisians towards all regions France to spend the spring break.

Breaking the deadly isolation

Bushra - who works as a marketing employee in one of the largest advertising and e-marketing companies - says that she did not leave Paris for fear of the Corona virus, but rather to escape from unity and isolation, and because of her narrow housing that does not exceed 30 square meters, in addition to the strict quarantine measures imposed by the Paris Municipality The government is targeting residents of the capital to contain the outbreak of the virus.

French authorities announced that they would impose travel restrictions on cities during the spring break (picture from the French Ministry of the Interior website)

Bushra explained in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that she prefers to be on the side of her parents in the event of their illness to take care of them, in addition to spending beautiful times in her father's spacious home, and his garden in which she likes to work during these sunny days in particular, as she put it.

And the young French woman of Moroccan origin believes that her departure from Paris is a responsible and not selfish act as some claim, or a threat to the health of the citizens of the smaller cities, because the main objective of it is to continue working in better conditions, and in the arms and warmth of the family, to break the deadly isolation in Paris, and to avoid depression or Any mental illness that may result from social measures of separation, as a result of the strict precautions imposed by the government to contain the Corona virus.

double-edged sword

Dr. Yahya Makki Abdel-Mumin believes that the departure of the French in large numbers to Paris towards the small cities has a positive and negative side, as the affluent families that have a second house in the countryside and small cities can To live in a period of quarantine in safety and in seclusion away from the crowds and the tightness of housing in Paris, which results in strong psychological pressure.

Dr. Yahya Makki Abdel-Mumin believes that the displacement of the French from Paris has pros and cons (Al-Jazeera Net)

The fact that the French have left many cities in major cities will also help reduce the risk of infection between citizens, according to Dr. Yahya.

It is noteworthy that the Minister of Equality Marilyn Chiappa revealed two days ago a significant increase in the percentage of domestic violence, which reached 36% in the Paris region, and 32% in the suburbs of the capital, during the first week of the quarantine.

As for the negative aspect of the phenomenon of the French leaving Paris, Yahya Makki believes that it may pose a major threat to public health, because small towns and rural areas do not have sufficient equipment from hospitals and medical teams to deal with injured citizens, which will create a state of confusion among medical personnel.

He pointed out the necessity for citizens to adhere to quarantine procedures, especially since the smaller cities and rural areas know a severe shortage of doctors, and a high percentage of the elderly and retirees are concentrated in them.