Deconfinement

This week France started to open its doors again. We had been searching the government sites – would our region be red, amber or green. Thankfully there have been few deaths in Normandy, so we were poised to join the world.

School was due to start receiving classes on Thursday for the pupils whose parents had deemed it safe enough for them to return. It was to be a staggered, with different pupils going on the Thursday and others the Friday. The teaching team wanted to make sure that all pupils understood the safety requirements so were taking the time to go through things with each group.

During the restrictions my girls footwear had been made obsolete; their winter boots now too small and impractical for the warmer spring weather. So we needed to Go to the shops to buy something more suitable.

It was interesting to see how each store approached the situation. In the first one we went to, the shoe shop, I couldn’t enter without a mask. Although my girls could. We had to sanitise our hands at the entrance too. In others there wasn’t the mask requirement, but there was hand sanitiser and also latex gloves available. There was someone to meet you at the entrance cleaning trolley handles and ensuring social distancing. However within the shops, despite guidelines on the floor, there was little occurring in the aisles. We’re all just used to going up and down aisles looking at things, so it seems to be forgotten.

Just prior to the girls returning to school we went to the market. It had a one way system, with masked guides on each end with the hand sanitiser. There weren’t many stalls and few people.

The guidelines for returning to school were clearly layed out before hand;

• A staggered approach depending on age, so there weren’t too many people around the gates.
• Marked sections of a one way system.
• All staff wearing masks.
• The first day to be spent on hand washing and social distancing instructions.
• Pre schoolers are only taught in the morning, and parents encouraged to pick them up at midday.
• Staggered leaving times.
• Separate pick up points around the school so not too many adults congregate.
• Children remaining indoors until called to maintain their social distancing.
  

We have been told that there may be alternate school days come June when all pupils will be back.

The girls were excited to be back. We missed them. The house is suddenly very quiet.