They’re calling it “lockdown light”, it starts Thursday night at midnight and it’s due to last until December 1st. Four weeks. We’ve just finished watching President Macron on the 8 o’clock TV news. It’ll be different from the March-April-May lockdown, a lot less severe. All schools will remain open as well as government offices and certain stores (but which ones?) Things aren’t clear yet. Until I get to my place of work tomorrow, I don’t know what my employer’s decision is. Will I stay home? Will I continue going to work?

One thing is sure: we have to fill out those damned “Attestation” certificates again every time we go outside; if not we risk a hefty fine. Last time, I was writing them out by hand because I don’t have a printer at home. Tomorrow, I’ll print out a bunch at the office.

For some strange reason, I have no recollection of the two months and 20 days I stayed at home during the severe lockdown from mid-March, April, May. All I remember is the weather: it was gorgeous, cold, sunny and dry (and we were confined to our homes in a form of house arrest.) I remember birdsong, total quiet, clean air, no street traffic. I cooked, ate and cleaned a lot. Listened to the radio a lot. Blogged and emailed with friends far and wide (and local.) Managed to advance enormously on my book project. Every day at 5 pm watched Hercule Poirot on TV. And every night just before 8 pm stood on the balcony to clap for the carers and medical staff. There. I’ve just remembered what I did.

France has universal healthcare that is mandatory for all citizens, whether they’re employed or not. Healthcare is managed by the Ministry of Health and administered through Social Security where 70% of services are covered for all typical health care needs, including general practitioners, hospitals, dentists, and pharmacy costs. 

On a personal note, for my comprehensive coverage that includes all dental, free prescription glasses every two years, doctor’s visits, pharmacy drug costs, scans, X-rays and even a health cure in the multitude of spas dotted around the country (mineral water or ocean therapy), I pay 34 euros a month. My employer pays the rest. If I had my own private plan and no employer, I’d pay anywhere from 30 to 90 euros (or more) a month depending on different factors. For women between the ages of 50 and 74, free mammograms are offered every two years.

If you want to call that ‘socialism’, then bring it on!

See The Guardian ten-minute documentary below – After winning the 2016 election, Donald Trump promised to deliver new jobs and economic prosperity to Youngstown, Ohio, a city suffering from decades of decline. But four years on those promises never manifested. Oliver Laughland and Tom Silverstone meet residents who lost their jobs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Cgy-ke5-s