Paris, Saturday 14 March
When we looked down into the street from our 4th floor windows this morning, most of the parking spaces, usually filled, often with someone cruising around looking for a place, are empty, which feels eery. The streets are also emptier than usual in this central Paris neighbourhood. Yesterday, to avoid public transportation (excellent in Paris) I took a cab to a doctor’s appointment, and the driver said the situation was a disaster for him; I was his first fare of the day at 2 in the afternoon, and there was a long line of cabs behind him at the taxi stand hoping for fares. My daughter in London says their supermarket shelves are cleaned out, though the corner grocery she mostly uses still has food. But he says his customers are buying more than usual, and he feels his stocks will soon be depleted too. Our corner pharmacy (no big pharmacies in France) is very busy, and the two pharmacists look exhausted, though they are as helpful as always. We’ve abandoned the supermarket, where it’s difficult to avoid other customers, and are using the small bio shop, which has most things we need. Our Tunisian fruit and vegetable seller in the covered market says he has fewer customers, and the little Chinese take-away at the other end of the market, where we buy ‘raviolis’ (pot stickers) has closed, no one knows why.