The French operate a kind of democracy that often is separated from voting and politicians. If a pol does something they dislike, they shut the country down with strikes. Farmers drive their equipment onto the autoroutes at 10 mph. They are used to it, but government always seems to cave, so why they do something in the first place is a mystery to me. Perhaps it is a complex ballet.
We were in Paris in January when they had protests and the police shut down all the bridges over the Seine, and as luck would have it, our hotel was on the other side. Nobody understood what had happened apparently, I know I didn't, so I kept driving to the next bridge, if traffic moved at all. I finally parked and we had an early dinner, and the restauranteur told the wife the bridges would open at 6 PM. He had a so what attitude.
So, now, they fight the virus with a tactic guaranteed to foment protests.
