"When we see roof boxes or couples with children and suitcases, we tell ourselves that people do not understand ..." Yoann (the first name has been changed), employee on the Darvault rest area (Seine-et- Marne), finds it hard to contain his anger at these departures during the Covid-19 epidemic: “It started three days ago. There are not always checks and people come up with a phony excuse, and it works. They are not aware that it is dangerous… ”
This Friday, April 3, the day before the Easter holidays in zone C, it was necessary to be convincing, to dribble the tight mesh drawn up by the police and the gendarmerie, in and around Paris to verify compliance with confinement. At the gates of the capital, in the stations and at the toll gates, a lot of "blue" but few verbalizations. Porte d'Orléans, traditional place of departure for hitchhikers and carpoolers, Yann, pump attendant, explains: "It's quiet, but there was more traffic this week and some traffic jams today".
"I printed all the documents"
A family crossed on the Lisses area (Essonne), the chest full enough, protests their good faith. “We left at 2 am from Toulon (Var) to go to Pontoise (Val-d'Oise), says Philippe, on the defensive. We are on the return. We take turns driving to pick up my wife's son, whom she has custody over the holidays. We haven't seen the police so far, but I printed all the documents. "
Around Montparnasse station, the police trucks are parked one behind the other. To take your train, you have to show your white leg. Travel certificate and ID are required. In the hall, we meet more than a hundred travelers - far from the rushes of school holidays - who wait to board the twenty or so trains scheduled for the day. "I have been checked twice," says Joffrey, returning from Australia and returning to his home in Rennes.
On the 2:57 p.m. leaving for Brest (Finistère), Océane goes to visit her grandmother, who no longer has personal assistance. On her certificate, she checked the box “assistance to vulnerable people”. "There are a lot of trips for family reasons," says this Railway Safety officer assigned to controls at the door of the Saint-Lazare station. Afterwards, it is complicated to check whether people are telling the truth or not. But we have repressed some since this morning. "