In this Friday April 3 Le Figaro , there were three pages of Carnet du Jour. Inside, a single engagement announcement, two births, three memories and seventy-five mourning: in fifteen years at Le Figaro , Pascale Bourdet, director of Carnet du Jour, had never experienced such a situation. The phenomenon is also observed in other daily newspapers, in regions but also in the national press, as in the World , noted the journalist Ariane Chemin on April 1 on Twitter. In question? The Covid-19, which has now killed more than 5,000 people in France.
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"The only similar period was the heat wave of 2003, " recalls Pascale Bourdet. “ But the big difference this time is that families often can't attend the funeral. They are completely lost, helpless. ” In this period of confinement, the number of people who may be present at the funeral of a loved one is indeed drastically limited. What is particularly painful and " disturbs the mourning," notes the head of service.
Read also: Coronavirus: funerals at the time of confinement
In Le Figaro , the announcements of the day's mourning - among which are notably the president of Hauts-de-Seine Patrick Devedjian, Princess Marie-Thérèse of Bourbon-Parma or even the mother of former minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres - indeed almost all that the funeral will take place "in family intimacy, taking into account the circumstances" or that "a mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated later because of the current health crisis".
"The most beautiful thing about our profession"
Pascale Bourdet and her colleagues, who now work from home, are not idle. "Since last week, we have had more pages, about two more per week, and they are completely full. There are almost only deaths, often due to the Covid, which people often tell us on the phone. Those who would like to share engagement or birth announcements probably don't dare to share their happiness… ”
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The director of the Carnet du Jour is struck by the particularly strong need that bereaved families have to confide in this very special period. “People are happy to be able to talk to us, especially since at the moment they don't have many other contacts. The support part of our business is reinforced: beyond the market relationship, a real bond is woven. We are at the heart of our profession, in its most beautiful. ”
