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The night of November 19th was supposed to be a party. Every third Thursday in November, in France, the arrival of beaujolais nouveau, the first bottled red of the year, is celebrated until dawn. By 2020, however, bars and restaurants remained closed, as they carry it, as did all "non-essential" shops, since confinement began three weeks ago. The French traded glasses for television. Every Thursday, the Government announces the figures for the evolution of the coronavirus. And the 67 million gauls living the second national confinement in less than eight months eagerly await to know how long the restrictions of this new lockdown will last, which, despite being more lax than spring, is lived with more tension and irritation.
"In the first confinement, people were more afraid. Now we have learned, as President [Emmanuel] Macron says, to live with the virus. And since the money doesn't come in, it makes sense that people are angry," says Joseph, a neighbor of the Champs-Elysyses. Things aren't the way they should be here either. This avenue is transformed on Christmas Eve into a festival of lights, sumptuous storefronts and crowds. Confinement has also given way to this illusion. "It's sad," Joseph admits, looking at the thawed streets, prefering not to give his last name. But as a surgeon working in one of the capital's saturated hospitals, he believes restrictions were necessary. "Hospitals could...