By Agatha Kempf
As the number of Coronavirus cases keeps rising in France, President Emmanuel Macron announced a national lockdown on the 17th of March for at least 15 days.
With a total of now 19,856 cases of Covid-19 and 860 deaths on a national scale, the two most infected areas are the region of Paris in Île-de-France and Grand-Est, in the North-East of France.
With 4,256 reported cases of COVID 19 in Alsace, region of the Grand-Est, nurses and doctors are drowning with the overwhelming amount of stress and number of patients they have to take care of.
However, locals were initially not willing to simply sit (im)patiently at home while the medical staff does all the hard work, and tried to show support in various ways.
The Library of Strasbourg sent its own stock of 250 masks initially used for protection during maintenance, after hearing about the shortage in hospitals and clinics.
The Departmental archives of Vosges and museums of Strasbourg too offered their stocks of face masks to the medical staff.
Hand sanitiser has also become rare, so a distillery in Hohwarth in the North of Alsace offered a stock of 1,300 litres of alcohol, initially for the making of liquors.
Source: Meyer distillery via Facebook
To help housing traveling medical staff, locals are also willing to offer housing: a man in Strasbourg is willing to rent his flats for 40€ for the stay, no matter how long.
Commuting has too been made easier for the members of staff on the front line of the Coronavirus battle: The Grand-Est Region has decided to make their trains and coaches free for all medical staff helping in the sanitary battle.
A local business has also sent free burgers to members of a hospital in Haguenau.
Money is being raised too by sports clubs and locals to offer hospital staff more equipment for better work conditions.
“It does make me happy and emotional to see all this generosity, but I find it sad that we have to be in such a situation for people united like that.” says Sonja Suss, 58, retired cleaner.
But is this generosity going to last? Or are we doing this only because we don’t have the choice? We will need this kindness later too!”
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