On her return from the Czech capital, a 68-year-old Brussels woman was struck by the behavior of Belgians in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic. She shares with us her feelings and fears since she returned to her country.
“I’m coming back from a confinement in Prague. I’m going to do my shopping at the Carrefour completely terrified. No mask required, no gloves to take fruits and vegetables. They are crazy these Gauls!”, exclaims Michèle via our orange button Alert us.
At 68, Michèle does not mince words. After three months of confinement spent in the Czech Republic, she is surprised by the situation in Belgium. Within a few days, she observed, helplessly, at behaviors that she considered irresponsible. “Maybe it’s carelessness”, she tells us.
For several years, Michèle has oscillated between Belgium and the Czech Republic. For most of the year, she leaves her Brussels apartment to go to Prague, where she finds part of her family. Forty years ago, his brother who worked in real estate in Belgium fell in love with this capital of central Europe. “He flew over the city and fell in love with it. After that, he settled there”, explains the Brussels woman. A feeling that gradually wins over the family. Because 20 years later, it is Michèle’s son who decides to take the road to settle in his turn in the Czech capital.
March 10: schools closed
It is therefore quite natural that in early 2020, Michèle takes her car to join the one commonly known as the Golden City. Her son having gone on a trip, she only finds her brother and sister-in-law there. The months pass and the time of departure rings for Michèle. But the coronavirus epidemic forced her to reconsider her intentions. “I was planning to return in early March when the crisis started. I found myself stuck. Fortunately, I was with my family,” she explains to us.
On March 10, the Czech Republic announces the closure of its schools. “It is better to be proactive than to start dealing with the problem later, or even too late as is the case in Italy “, said Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis at the time.
On site, Michèle lives in her brother’s house, alongside her sister-in-law. They are lucky to find themselves confined “in a large space and with a garden”. The whole family scrupulously respects the barrier rules. “We decided not to kiss or to hug each other. We are very close, however, but we did not want to cause the disease. We are all of a certain age so we are careful”, explains Michèle. When she goes out, she discovers a population “totally hidden”. “At first, everyone did not have a mask so people went out with a scarf. But nobody walked around without anything”, she assures us.
I was frankly ashamed of my country
Confined to more than 900 kilometers from Brussels, Michèle keeps an eye on the situation in Belgium. She can hardly believe what is going on in her native country. “From Prague, I read the news and frankly, we experienced it as a joke. Between the history of masks, the schools that remained open, the images showing people walking around without masks … I was frankly ashamed of my country. It was ridiculous. I was even afraid for my friends who stayed in Belgium “, she exclaims.
For Michèle, the surprise does not stop there. On May 31, after several hours on the road, she finally returned to Belgium. A few meters from her Brussels apartment, she made her first observations. “I saw several people waiting without a mask. They didn’t even have one in hand”, loose Michèle.
The next day, while refueling in a supermarket, amazed, she attends a scene which she describes: “I see a gentleman who takes fruits and vegetables, goes to the window of the store to show them to his wife who is outside. She beckons him and he will then rest those she does not choose” ? She exclaims: “And I see people without a mask, when I ask them why, one answers me that she has forgotten and the other that she thinks she is allergic to the mask”.
For Michèle, this is too much. “What is the point of queuing outside at 1.50m distance if people don’t respect the rules inside ?!”, she exclaims.
An imminent departure
Faced with this, the sixty-something woman decided to limit her outings as much as possible. From now on, she limits her expeditions to the supermarket and is content with her garden for ventilation. “I will settle for little so as not to take unnecessary risks”, she admits. Especially since his days spent in Brussels are now numbered. Michèle chose to settle permanently in the Czech Republic with her family. Has the coronavirus crisis precipitated his departure? “I have been thinking about it for two years. I don’t know if the epidemic influenced my choice, I wonder. But in any case, I no longer want to undergo all this”, she breathes.
Untroubled and far from her loved ones, Michèle now spends her time in the boxes. “I have 68 years of life to pack. I am delighted “she smiles.
The Czech Republic has registered 9,500 cases of coronavirus and 325 deaths from Covid-19 for 10.7 million inhabitants. This is much less than Belgium which, for a slightly larger population, recorded more than 9,000 deaths.
On June 1, the government announced that it would reopen on June 15 its borders with “safe” countries, its neighbors but also Switzerland, Finland and the Baltic countries. From this date, the Czechs will also be allowed to travel, including to countries much more affected by the virus, but where it is in marked decline, such as in particular Belgium, France, Italy, Spain.
However, people from these countries will need to have a negative virus test certificate. And Czechs returning from Great Britain or Sweden, where the virus does not yet seem to be under control, will also have to provide a certificate of non-contamination.
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