The Franco-Belgian border at Baisieux, in the North. - M.Libert / 20 Minutes

The border between France and Belgium has now been closed for just over two weeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. More recently, the prefect of the North has decided to reinforce this measure by closing two highways to speed up controls there. But what about the many small roads that usually allow you to go from one country to another without even realizing it? Report to Baisieux.

The place is very well known to the inhabitants of the Lille metropolis who are reluctant to pay full price for their tobacco in their country. Just take the A27 motorway, exit at the Losc training center and, a few kilometers further, via a country road, you arrive in Belgium. Except that this Friday morning, we could see well upstream the beacons of a car of the French police. Conscientiously, the three agents control everything that goes on one side or the other.

He crosses the border to feed his snakes

Officials belonging to the border police, the officials were reassigned after the stop of commercial flights at Lesquin airport. "Here there are regular checks but in other places there are fixed points," said one of the police. In Baisieux, traffic is not very dense this Friday morning. "We only see cross-border workers who are in good standing," said the agent.

Except for a few atypical cases. "Once a week, there is a gentleman who crosses the border to feed his snakes in his house in Belgium," laughs the official. He also mentions the case of another French, claustrophobic, who can circulate thanks to the medical certificate of his doctor.

A few meters away, on the Belgian side, the only store open is a petrol station which also sells tobacco. On the ground, large brown scotch tape defines the safety distances to be respected. The employee serves the few customers behind a plexiglass wall. “The vast majority of our customers are usually French. I do not even dare look at the turnover on which depends whether or not to keep the station open, ”says the young woman.

However, it still serves French people, despite the confinement and closing of the border: "Between 30 and 70 depending on the day and depending on the presence of the police," she admits. It remains very little compared to his usual activity: “Today is very calm, but the worst was on the first Monday. We were robbed in tobacco, there was nothing left in the store, “says the employee.

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  • Coronavirus
  • Belgium
  • Covid 19
  • Lille
  • Borders