Across London, under the sign of the virus

Correspondent in London

On Whitehall, at the entrance to the Horse-Guards barracks, the horse guards are well in their gatehouse. It is the only concession to the immutable order of things. The traditional changing of the guard, in front of the palaces of Buckingham and St James, has not taken place for ten days already. The decision was made on March 20, even before the containment order was issued. In any case, the queen is no longer there. She went green in Windsor while Charles, infected with coronavirus, isolated himself in Scotland.

The horse-guards' mounts are hardly distracted by passers-by. The avenue is almost deserted. Two or three cyclists, a lonely black taxi and a man walking with a hurry, leather briefcase under his arm, head bowed in front of the wind blowing hard as if he wanted to chase away the miasma that poisons the city. A few steps further, a dozen police officers stand guard in front of the closed gates of Downing Street. Also infected with the virus,

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