In today's episode of the podcast Annie and Elyse ask: Will Covid-19 change France? It is hard to imagine that it wouldn't, but how? As full-time residents of France we talk about some of the things we expect to happen going forward in France.

We start the show by wondering how a large institution like the Louvre Museum might adapt. And how about taking tours while visiting France? Will we ever see a flock of people gather around a tour guide? Will we all need to use audio guides?

Another big question is will French people continue to kiss on the cheek? And if we can't "bise" one-another, what will we do instead?

An even bigger question is restaurants and cafés. Many French restaurants are so small they cannot possibly carry on as before. Will they all go take-out? Will we mostly eat on terraces? Can small mom-and-pop restaurants that are so common in France survive this epidemic?

As you can see, there's a lot to talk about, so click play and let's go!

Will Covid-19 Change France?

1. Masks will become “normal” in France.
2. How the Louvre might handle reopening.
3. “La bise” may not be as ubiquitous as it used to be.
4. Working from home was weird, now it’ll be a privilege.
5. Staggering work hours will also become normal.
6. Awareness of how important medical services are.
7. Awareness of how important “menial” jobs are.
8. Annie hopes that drive-up windows and curb-side pickup will become the new normal.
9. French people are now painfully aware that we rely too much on Chinese imports.
10. Personal space in France will hopefully get bigger.
11. There may be a revitalization of small villages where those who went to hide may decide to stay.
12. Impact of our constant coming and going on the planet is now obvious.
13. Other side of the coin, people may be scared to use public transportation.
14. Contact-less payments were not popular, now they’ll be the new normal.
15. You know how French people don’t look at their phones so much when sitting at a restaurant, that may be over.
16. Netflix now has over 10 million subscribers in France and some good original programing in French (Criminal for instance).
17. Cafés and restaurants that have a terrace will do better than the ones that don’t. What will happen to all those restaurants in cities where it’s so crowded?
18. People will meet at parks and open-air areas a lot. Even with family, I’ll have them over but we’ll BBQ on the terrace.
19. How about bars and night clubs for the young crowd? Will inhabitants of small Paris apartments invite one-another at home rather than meet at a café?
20. Small business owners in France will now understand the importance of having a website and an email list so they can tell their customers we’re open or closed or drive-up or whatever.
21. The way French people vacation will change.

 

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Discussed in this Episode

• Will French people start looking at their phones more?
• How are French schools handling this?
• Is Netflix going to kill French TV stations?
• There are no menial jobs!
• Hospitals beds are a precious commodity even if they are not full all the time
• We don't all have to go to work at the same time!

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If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s):

• Will the Pandemic Change the Way You Travel? Episode 282

La bise in France may be going away, at least between people who don't know each other well.

Category: French Culture