Today marks two weeks since the French government enforced a mandatory lockdown, limiting our freedom of movement to grocery shopping, doctor or pharmacy visits, 30-minutes of exercise close to home and bakery runs. Long live the French baguette! I’ve only ventured outside on a few occasions thus far, abiding by the #stayhome, or should I say #restcheznous rule. On one of these outings, I captured scenes of an empty Paris.

Never have I seen Place de la République so deserted, while the statue of Marianne continues to stand tall.

In case you’re wondering why bakeries remain open all over France, I recently wrote about why boulangeries are deemed essential, in this cultural feature for BBC Travel.

A walk around the Haut Marais proved that my neighbors were safely at home or when out of doors, abiding by the social distancing rules. The bises greeting so much a part of the French culture, will have to wait.

Without its terraced cafes, strolling locals and tourists, Paris feels even calmer than on a Sunday in August.

While just two weeks ago Parisians were crowding into still open parks and running along the Seine, as I wrote about for Urbansider one week into lockdown, an eerie quiet now fills the empty streets.

Read more about life in Paris under lockdown and how the French are uniting, in my article for Fathom.