Things Opening Up Plus

Oopsy. We were able to make a trip to the US from end of July to mid August. I was back in the blog and discovered I had not posted the very last entry from before our trip. So here it is as it was written.

The Grand Re-opening

Things here opened up. For a week or two there was outdoor cafe dining and outdoor space at bars with required table separation limits and on number of customers. Non-essential shops opened with a limit as to the number of customers also. 

They created a digital app in which you upload proof that you are fully vaccinated or that you have already had Covid. Restaurants were to record patrons' information so Covid close-contacts could be reported.  Some places simply recorded the names, addresses and phone numbers of patrons but I'm not sure who would have done the notifying in this case. Scanning a bar code or providing your personal information wasn't mandatory.  

In the first phase of opening outdoor dining, the distances between tables we witnessed didn't meet the regulations so there didn't seem to be any verifications going on.

Very quickly, indoor dining/bars opened as well, and in rapid succession, gyms, huge sporting events  and even nightclubs have opened. So... everything has opened!

As it stands, we are still not willing to make use of indoor or outdoor restaurants. (Note: Even without Covid, we wouldn't dine in the outdoor space because patrons are permitted to smoke.)  Early in the restaurant re-openings, we did see a Starbucks open for take away only --  the first time places like this were open at all since we arrived in October. We did get a couple of cups to go!

We have entered shops briefly with an in and out philosophy. Masks are required in indoor spaces. However, we've actually seen grocery store workers without masks even though they are still required. Masks are no longer required outdoors on the streets but there are a lot of exceptions. For example, if you are waiting in a long queue for something, you are to wear a mask. We don't see this happening as folks seem to just be doing what they want. We are taking a conservative approach to protecting ourselves so we wear masks and wear them properly.

Note added after this entry was written but before publication: There is quite a bit of vaccine hesitancy and case numbers are going up again. The governmental approach at this point seems to be to plead with folks to get vaccinated. They may require proof of vaccination or recent recovery from Covid to gain entry to restaurants, bars, etc. We'll see.

A trio of unicyclists!

B is now able to be at the office a maximum of 2 days a week, though there are still masks required in meetings and a limit on the number of people in meeting rooms. A final review meeting about the plant B built in Indonesia was supposed to happen last year but they finally held the meeting. One of the folks that worked with B on the project in Indonesia is now in Lyon and he came in for the meeting. They decided to wear their SRI shirts!

We have worked to find a physician, a dentist and a lab to do routine blood work as well as COVID PCR tests (which we will require to travel).  The doctor is located in Chamalieres. This doc was recommended by someone B knows here. B got directions but we still did a test run the weekend prior. It was hard to locate actually. Based on the directions, we thought the office was near a Carrefour grocery store. No, it wasn't. In reality, the office is located near something called the Centre Commercial Carrefour Europe. Carrefour means intersection.  This is a retail intersection. 

B was told we should park under the Carrefour. Again, we thought we'd be parking under a Carrefour grocery. Nope! We needed to park under an Auchan grocery store. From this parking garage, we walked into the grocery store and directly out the front door. There was a pedestrian bridge to cross the road and shortly after the bridge, we turned right and hunted for the office. We were confused at first looking for 48 Ter. There was nothing on the front side of the building. However, around to the side/back we found it! We weren't in need of a doctor but we needed to get established as patients with a doctor here.

Next, the dentist! We actually needed a dentist for P because of a chipped crown which happened on May 7. Again, this dentist was one of two recommended. Getting an appointment was an issue, however. Dentist 1 couldn't see P until Aug 22. The second recommended dentist could see P on June 23. At the June 23 appointment,  dentist number 2 felt that the crown was still protective and if just smoothed there was probably no need for a new crown, yet! We have made appointments at dentist #1 for cleanings. Then we will decide which one we prefer. Both dentists are walking distance in town, though one is closer than the other.

The dentist's office is in a very old building. The staircase shows it! It was actually difficult to walk on. Note: No elevator option!

Both the dentist and the doctor were recommended due to English speaking ability. Hmmm. Maybe a little English.

We are planning a trip to the US. We are both fully vaccinated including more than 3 weeks beyond second vaccination. Currently, to travel France to US, we are required to get COVID-PCR tests. We have a lab with 5-7 min walk. 

B has heard there is inconsistent lag time for results so we may look elsewhere but this place is handy. We will need to have the test and get the result within 72 hrs of our flight out of France. We may actually get two PCR tests to increase the chance we can get results in time. We may need another test within a few days of landing, a 3rd test 72 hrs before departure from the US and another one a few days after returning to France. At this point we don't anticipate having to quarantine on our return to France.