Why I decided to stay in France during Coronavirus lockdown (Confinement Day 10 in France)

I could have gone home to Japan but I stayed. 

Two weeks ago, the French government decided that all the universities would be closed in order to slow the propagation of the Coronavirus in the population. It was recommended by the Ministry of Education that international students go back to their countries if the trip was possible. Despite the situation, I decided to stay in France and here are 5 reasons why.

1. We didn't know how long the confinement was going to be

At the beginning of the confinement, we did not know how long the confinement was going to be (and we still don't as a matter of fact). The government planned it for two weeks minimum. If I were to go back home and then confinement actually ended at the end of the two weeks, it would be too busy to do a round trip in such a short period. 

Also, I was afraid that I would be subjected to confinement of two weeks in arrival to Japan. If that were the case, I would lose that time in a situation that is even more restricted.

2. Traveling is a risk

The purpose of confinement was to minimize the propagation of the virus in France and in the world. So, the best thing you can do is to stay home (which was, apparently, not convincing enough for some Parisiens who wondered around and gather with friends and families in parks after the government told them to stay home...).

If I was not infected, I would be putting myself in risk by taking public transport to Paris, going through the crowded airport, and being with people in an airplane for 12 hours during my flight to Tokyo. Then, my family will be at risk of getting the virus because of me.

On the contrary, if I were in fact already infected, in that case, I might transmit it to people that I come across in the process of getting home. Not to mention the risk of getting very sick in the airplane in which nobody can do anything to help me medically.

3. It's expensive to go back

Another reason is, by the time I thought of going home, plane tickets had already become very expensive due to multiple cancellations of flights.

On top of that, because I'm a law student, I have a lot of books. Since the semester is still on-going despite the suspension of the courses, I still had to continue studying and preparing for exams. In order for me to continue working as normal as possible, I would have to send the books that do not fit into my suitcase to myself in Japan. Books are heavy so sending by post office is the last thing you want to do. I would normally use shipping (actually sending by ship) for heavier objects, but because I need them immediately, I cannot wait for months for them to arrive thus I would have to send them by airmail. 

I don't think I need to tell you about it if I decided to leave my apartment definitively, which would have cost, even more, to get rid of my things and sending some back home.

4. Japan is no safer

At this point, no place on earth is safer than another. So why take risks? 

Japan has not decided on full confinement like some countries in Europe. People still go to work and go out. In my opinion, more and more people are getting infected but not enough are getting tested for the virus. We don't know the exact extent of propagation in the country.

5. Because I could afford to stay

Lastly, I would like to point out that I was very privileged in the sense that I could actually afford to stay in France. I do not have a scholarship and I don't have an affiliation to a Japanese university at the moment (I already graduated in Japan).

Japanese students, who were receiving scholarships from a most know Japanese scholarship organization, were cut off of theirs because the Japanese government raised the danger level of the countries that the students were studying to level 2. It means that students should no longer be there due to the dangerousness of the situation. This measure was later criticized severely by the students and the public and the Ministry of Education announced that they were going to do something to ameliorate the situation. As for me, I have no funding from Japan so I was free to decide what was the best for me by myself.

The same goes for not having an affiliated Japanese university. Many Japanese universities told their students abroad to come home and finish the semester in the institution of origin. The students had no choice but to end their exchange programs there and then. 

I was extremely lucky that no one decided for me and the choice was entirely up to me.

These are the reasons that I decided to stay in France. My heart goes to the students who were forced to go back to their countries of origin not being able to finish their studies abroad. I know that many of them put in an unthinkable amount of work and effort to go because I was and still am in their place as well. I really hope that the government and their universities would provide compensation and support for these young and promising students.