In the middle of a global pandemic and its neverending curfews, social interactions are rare and the dating game is on hold almost everywhere. But then there’s France, where romance can strike where you least expect it.
Back in November 2020 in the eastern city of Belfort, Julie Bongiovanni, 21, became a COVID contact-case and had to get herself tested, reports local French newspaper L’Est Républicain.
Having been tested once before, she knew of the pain the nasal swab caused, so wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. But as medical staff worker Mickaël Peter, 21, approached with the dreaded q-tip, she looked into his eyes and … l’amour.
Despite his facemask, protective glasses, hairnet and nurse’s blouse, one gaze was all it took for the two of them to fall head over heels in love.
After a few nasal-passage-triggered tears, a long conversation ensued — so long, that one of Mickaël’s colleagues came to check if everything was alright. Cupid’s cotton swab had struck, they kept in touch via social media, agreeing to a date the week after her negative results — this time without masks. (“I hadn’t even noticed he had a beard!”)
Now, five months later, Julie has moved into Mickaël’s place in the eastern city of Alsace. Leave it to the French, we might say, to discover the opposite of social distancing.
