How many are there to join France, their country of origin, faced with the threat of the coronavirus? Hard to say. But they are easily found, these expatriates, ready to leave their British existence for an indefinite period. Stéphane Le Corre, for example. Commercial director of an energy company, he joined his second home in Normandy on Tuesday.
"We have been living in London for five years, we have been there all our lives, but we are leaving," said the father. A departure of a few weeks. Without regret. The private schools of his 11 and 14 year old children have closed and he can work remotely. “We prefer to be in the house by the sea and be able to play football in the garden. It takes a little space, because the family traveled with notebooks, the piano (electric), the printer. "I also had pasta, which we had in our cupboards," says Stéphane Le Corre.
The start looks like an epic. The European border - closed for 30 days - remains open to European and British citizens, but transport is reduced. Eurostar cancels several trains per day. Britanny ferries interrupt the Saint-Malo – Portsmouth, Portsmouth – Le Havre or Roscoff – Plymouth connections. And the DFDS company has reduced the passenger tonnage of its ships by 50%.
VIDEO. Coronavirus: "The strictest measures in Europe"
“We wanted to avoid the train, so we had to rent a car, explains Julien, whose wife, Sophie, works in the City. We took the Channel Tunnel shuttle with our two boys, ages 9 and 12, luckily there weren't many people. For him as for Stéphane Le Corre, they returned for fear in particular of soon not finding any means of transport to return to France.
No containment, schools and stores open
Especially since French expatriates appreciate differently the strategy of the British government to reduce the epidemic (no confinement to date, schools and shops open, non-binding call to avoid social contact ...) "Their idea of collective immunization, if it means letting people catch the virus, it seems suicidal, ”points Julien. When Stéphane greets “a form of pragmatism. Is it not a mistake, in fact, to shut down the whole economy? "
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The two compatriots agree in any case on another reason to return to the fold: concern about the ability of the NHS, the British health system, already under tension in normal times, to cope with the pandemic "The system French is stronger, ”says Stéphane. "I prefer to know the doctor, and then the delayed strategy of Boris Johnson (Editor's note: the British Prime Minister) - raises fears that the NHS is facing a monstrous mess", adds Julien, who is prone to pneumonia.
Last resort and not least of this repatriation: the family. Those who return often have one or more parents, for whom they worry. " In Normandy ? we are an hour from my wife's mother, explains Julien. It is important to be able to get there quickly if necessary. "
Julien as Stéphane hope that things happen quickly and well, to quickly find their previous life. From there to believe it… “When we left London on Monday, the children were going to school, the people at the pub, it felt like being in a disaster film, where no one is aware of the danger that lies in wait . "