Today, Nice looks like it's in a dystopian science fiction movie. The streets of this resort town on the French Riviera are virtually empty. There are police checkpoints around every corner and an 8 p.m. curfew.
, the thoroughfare along the Mediterranean. Go home, they ordered. Shortly after that, they barricaded the crosswalks leading to the promenade, leaving the beach deserted.During the next week, as the lockdown tightened, the mood of the city darkened. Even when I left home for a valid reason, and with all of the right paperwork, I looked over my shoulder.
Some parts of Nice look completely abandoned. Only a few homeless people remain. On my way to the grocery store, one of them stumbled toward me, murmuring to himself in French too quick for me to understand. The next day, he was gone. People have described life under the lockdown as a waking nightmare. In Nice, I prefer a cinematic analogy. After all, Cannes, the site of the famous film festival, is only half an hour's drive down the Mediterranean coast.
Every evening at 8 p.m., residents open their apartment windows and break into applause. They're clapping for the health care workers heroically putting their lives on the line to fight coronavirus. But they're also clapping for each other, applauding themselves for surviving another day in captivity. The pizza restaurant across the street stays open after 8 and drivers continue to deliver food to hungry residents. It turns out you can't impose a curfew on pizza delivery in France.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
France Is Putting Domestic Abuse Victims in Hotels During Coronavirus LockdownReports of domestic abuse have spiked by about 30% since France went into lockdown in mid-March.
Read more »
Spotify Kids Launches in U.S., Canada and FranceSpotify&39;s first standalone app for children, Spotify Kids, launched in beta on Tuesday (March 31) in the U.S., Canada and France.
Read more »
Global coronavirus cases have surpassed 860,000, with record new deaths in France, Spain and the U.K.Global coronavirus cases have surpassed 860,000, with record new deaths in France, Spain and the U.K. StatistaCharts. COVID19
Read more »
France Announces Plan To Aid Domestic Abuse Victims During Coronavirus CrisisConfinement can create 'fertile ground for domestic violence,' says the country's minister for gender quality. France is also creating support sites for women at supermarkets and pharmacies.
Read more »
Tammy Hembrow 'stops kids from seeing their dad' during the coronavirus lockdownTammy Hembrow and her ex-fiancé, Reece Hawkins, split in 2018 after having two children together, their son Wolf and daughter Saskia
Read more »