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| Paris, a Magnet for the World, Becomes a Ghost City After a Lockdown Takes Effect | Paris, a Magnet for the World, Becomes a Ghost City After a Lockdown Takes Effect |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| PARIS — An exodus from Paris at the Gare Montparnasse train station. A postal worker warning of the plague, the apocalypse and repentance, with the Eiffel Tower behind him. Fear in people’s eyes, and tense moments, in a long line outside a supermarket. | PARIS — An exodus from Paris at the Gare Montparnasse train station. A postal worker warning of the plague, the apocalypse and repentance, with the Eiffel Tower behind him. Fear in people’s eyes, and tense moments, in a long line outside a supermarket. |
| But also Parisians out jogging on deserted streets. Or walking their dogs, or trying to connect their children to their teachers on home laptops. And a California couple savoring, for now at least, their first trip to the City of Lights. | But also Parisians out jogging on deserted streets. Or walking their dogs, or trying to connect their children to their teachers on home laptops. And a California couple savoring, for now at least, their first trip to the City of Lights. |
| As France was put on lockdown on Tuesday to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Paris, one of the world’s most visited cities, turned into a ghost town. At noon sharp, police officers patrolling the Champs-Élysées, near the Arc de Triomphe, began enforcing new rules of confinement across the capital and the rest of France, one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe with 6,600 cases and 148 deaths. | As France was put on lockdown on Tuesday to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Paris, one of the world’s most visited cities, turned into a ghost town. At noon sharp, police officers patrolling the Champs-Élysées, near the Arc de Triomphe, began enforcing new rules of confinement across the capital and the rest of France, one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe with 6,600 cases and 148 deaths. |
| In what has been described as the toughest health-related restrictions in France’s modern history, people will be allowed outdoors for only specific reasons for at least the next 15 days; the exceptions include buying groceries, getting medication at a drugstore, or commuting to work for those unable to work remotely. People leaving their homes now have to sign and carry a form explaining the reasons for their movements, or face fines. Across the city, police officers began stopping pedestrians and pulling over cars to inspect their papers. | In what has been described as the toughest health-related restrictions in France’s modern history, people will be allowed outdoors for only specific reasons for at least the next 15 days; the exceptions include buying groceries, getting medication at a drugstore, or commuting to work for those unable to work remotely. People leaving their homes now have to sign and carry a form explaining the reasons for their movements, or face fines. Across the city, police officers began stopping pedestrians and pulling over cars to inspect their papers. |
| “I’m just trying to enjoy the last hour before confinement,’’ said Nana Zhou, as she took photos of the Arc de Triomphe just before noon. | “I’m just trying to enjoy the last hour before confinement,’’ said Nana Zhou, as she took photos of the Arc de Triomphe just before noon. |
| A Chinese student in Paris, Ms. Zhou, 24, was now facing her third quarantine in as many months. In January, for the Chinese New Year, she went back to her family home in Henan, a province just north of Wuhan, the source of the coronavirus, and spent 14 days in quarantine. Back in France, she self-quarantined for 14 days, and now she faced an indeterminate period inside her apartment. | A Chinese student in Paris, Ms. Zhou, 24, was now facing her third quarantine in as many months. In January, for the Chinese New Year, she went back to her family home in Henan, a province just north of Wuhan, the source of the coronavirus, and spent 14 days in quarantine. Back in France, she self-quarantined for 14 days, and now she faced an indeterminate period inside her apartment. |
| She had warned her French friends about the dangers of the coronavirus, but her warnings had been ignored like Cassandra’s. | She had warned her French friends about the dangers of the coronavirus, but her warnings had been ignored like Cassandra’s. |
| “‘It’s just the flu,’ they told me,’’ Ms. Zhou said. “I feel that France is where China was in January. I’m afraid of what’s coming.’’ | “‘It’s just the flu,’ they told me,’’ Ms. Zhou said. “I feel that France is where China was in January. I’m afraid of what’s coming.’’ |
| The lockdown, which President Emmanuel Macron announced in an evening address to the nation on Monday, followed a week and a half of mixed messages from the French government. | The lockdown, which President Emmanuel Macron announced in an evening address to the nation on Monday, followed a week and a half of mixed messages from the French government. |
| Despite the ravages caused by the pandemic in Asia and in neighboring Italy, Mr. Macron and his wife, Brigitte, had only 10 days earlier attended the theater in Paris to urge people to keep going out despite the outbreak. Late last week, even as Mr. Macron announced the closing of schools and nonessential businesses, he allowed municipal elections to take place on Sunday — a decision now widely regarded as a significant mistake that led many French to underestimate the gravity of the risk. | Despite the ravages caused by the pandemic in Asia and in neighboring Italy, Mr. Macron and his wife, Brigitte, had only 10 days earlier attended the theater in Paris to urge people to keep going out despite the outbreak. Late last week, even as Mr. Macron announced the closing of schools and nonessential businesses, he allowed municipal elections to take place on Sunday — a decision now widely regarded as a significant mistake that led many French to underestimate the gravity of the risk. |
| “It’s a bit like an exodus,” Jeanne Bacca, 23, sitting in the middle of Gare Montparnasse, one of Paris’s main rail stations, as she waited for her train to join her family in Bordeaux. | “It’s a bit like an exodus,” Jeanne Bacca, 23, sitting in the middle of Gare Montparnasse, one of Paris’s main rail stations, as she waited for her train to join her family in Bordeaux. |
| Looking distraught and covering her face with a gray scarf for lack of a mask, Ms. Bacca said that Mr. Macron’s speech had led her to flee Paris — even though she was fully aware that the risk of contracting the virus would increase aboard a packed train. | Looking distraught and covering her face with a gray scarf for lack of a mask, Ms. Bacca said that Mr. Macron’s speech had led her to flee Paris — even though she was fully aware that the risk of contracting the virus would increase aboard a packed train. |
| “The train is what scares me the most,” Ms. Bacca said. | “The train is what scares me the most,” Ms. Bacca said. |
| Gare Montparnasse was a swirl of rumors, doubts and anxieties in the hours before the lockdown went into effect. Hoping to join families elsewhere in France, or dreading the thought of being stuck inside tiny Paris apartments for weeks, hundreds of people, many wearing white face masks, thronged the city’s rail stations before being forced to confine themselves at home. | Gare Montparnasse was a swirl of rumors, doubts and anxieties in the hours before the lockdown went into effect. Hoping to join families elsewhere in France, or dreading the thought of being stuck inside tiny Paris apartments for weeks, hundreds of people, many wearing white face masks, thronged the city’s rail stations before being forced to confine themselves at home. |
| “I’m trying to get back to Toulouse,” said Robin Pereira, 20, a student whose train to southern France had just been canceled. “I don’t have a ticket, I’ll get on the train and we’ll see what happens.” | “I’m trying to get back to Toulouse,” said Robin Pereira, 20, a student whose train to southern France had just been canceled. “I don’t have a ticket, I’ll get on the train and we’ll see what happens.” |
| People were packed aboard trains leaving for Nantes or Bordeaux — some sitting on the floor, others standing tightly between seats, physically incapable of practicing social-distancing rules — as they paradoxically turned the trains into what they were trying to escape: high-risk areas of contagion. | People were packed aboard trains leaving for Nantes or Bordeaux — some sitting on the floor, others standing tightly between seats, physically incapable of practicing social-distancing rules — as they paradoxically turned the trains into what they were trying to escape: high-risk areas of contagion. |
| Anne Rasmussen, a historian specializing in health crises, said that every epidemic, from the plague to the Spanish flu, had been marked by exoduses from Paris. | Anne Rasmussen, a historian specializing in health crises, said that every epidemic, from the plague to the Spanish flu, had been marked by exoduses from Paris. |
| “It’s a normal reaction for a population,” she said, adding that the current lockdown was “unprecedented’’ in France’s modern history. | “It’s a normal reaction for a population,” she said, adding that the current lockdown was “unprecedented’’ in France’s modern history. |
| But fleeing Paris also posed other dangers. | But fleeing Paris also posed other dangers. |
| “The exodus raises the question of the spread of the virus to other territories,” said Olivier Véran, the health minister, adding, “Just because you’re by the sea or closer to nature doesn’t mean you’re any less close to the virus.” | “The exodus raises the question of the spread of the virus to other territories,” said Olivier Véran, the health minister, adding, “Just because you’re by the sea or closer to nature doesn’t mean you’re any less close to the virus.” |
| With the exodus from Paris, some were grappling to understand the situation in biblical terms. | With the exodus from Paris, some were grappling to understand the situation in biblical terms. |
| In Trocadéro, a favorite spot for tourists to see the Eiffel Tower, a postal worker named Katian Kibio was engaged in a heated conversation with a passer-by. | In Trocadéro, a favorite spot for tourists to see the Eiffel Tower, a postal worker named Katian Kibio was engaged in a heated conversation with a passer-by. |
| “This is the plague before the apocalypse,’’ he explained a few minutes later. “Man has to repent.’’ | “This is the plague before the apocalypse,’’ he explained a few minutes later. “Man has to repent.’’ |
| Updated June 16, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| A few blocks away, a long line had formed outside the U Express supermarket, each person staying about four feet away from the next. When one woman felt that the person behind her was too close, it triggered an exchange of sharp words. | A few blocks away, a long line had formed outside the U Express supermarket, each person staying about four feet away from the next. When one woman felt that the person behind her was too close, it triggered an exchange of sharp words. |
| Up the line, Pascale Chedin, wearing mittens and a scarf around her mouth, said she was “trying to stay calm,’’ though the fear in her eyes spoke otherwise. | Up the line, Pascale Chedin, wearing mittens and a scarf around her mouth, said she was “trying to stay calm,’’ though the fear in her eyes spoke otherwise. |
| She, too, had been planning to flee Paris to the countryside. But her would-be host, an elderly person, had asked her to stay in the capital. | She, too, had been planning to flee Paris to the countryside. But her would-be host, an elderly person, had asked her to stay in the capital. |
| Ms. Chedin, who works at a museum that had been preparing an exhibition on Pompeii, said she was now planning to hole up in her apartment and read about the ancient Italian city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. | Ms. Chedin, who works at a museum that had been preparing an exhibition on Pompeii, said she was now planning to hole up in her apartment and read about the ancient Italian city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. |
| But even in Paris’s darkest hours, its power to draw people from all over the world was undiminished. | But even in Paris’s darkest hours, its power to draw people from all over the world was undiminished. |
| A group of Malaysians posed in Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower as stately as ever on the other side of the Seine River. Despite the pandemic, they had decided not to to cancel their long-planned, nonrefundable trip to France. | A group of Malaysians posed in Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower as stately as ever on the other side of the Seine River. Despite the pandemic, they had decided not to to cancel their long-planned, nonrefundable trip to France. |
| “At least we go to see the Eiffel Tower,’’ said Fadhilah Nor, 34, adding that they had arrived on Monday and would head back to their hotel. | “At least we go to see the Eiffel Tower,’’ said Fadhilah Nor, 34, adding that they had arrived on Monday and would head back to their hotel. |
| On the Champs-Élysées, a couple from Sacramento, Calif., Alfredo and Monique Alcausin, were taking selfies with the Arc de Triomphe behind them. They had arrived on Monday and planned to stay four days on their first visit to Paris. | On the Champs-Élysées, a couple from Sacramento, Calif., Alfredo and Monique Alcausin, were taking selfies with the Arc de Triomphe behind them. They had arrived on Monday and planned to stay four days on their first visit to Paris. |
| “I think it’s a very unique and a good experience to come here without a lot of people,’’ Mr. Alcausin, 41, said. “We don’t have to fight for a spot on the train, or space to take a picture in front of the arch. It made life easier.” | “I think it’s a very unique and a good experience to come here without a lot of people,’’ Mr. Alcausin, 41, said. “We don’t have to fight for a spot on the train, or space to take a picture in front of the arch. It made life easier.” |
| But spotting a phalanx of police officers coming toward them as the clock ticked toward noon, he added, “I guess they’ll start kicking people out.’’ | But spotting a phalanx of police officers coming toward them as the clock ticked toward noon, he added, “I guess they’ll start kicking people out.’’ |