Here's a very short interview with some of those food folks at frontlines of this coronavirus crisis. I reached out to baker Pierre Ragot in Marseille, France, who continues to deliver bread for the people of his beleaguered nation. I contacted Pierre via Facebook chat. Apparently, after hours at work, her husband was getting some much needed sleep. Here's a rough transcript of the conversation with Ms. Ragot. 

Hello Pierre, I'm glad to see that you are still able to continue baking. May I ask you a few questions about the government's edict to allow bakeries to stay open during this crisis? Security, staffing, distance from your clientele and how is this whole crisis in what is a new apocalyptic order? And how are you?

Pierre is sleeping, I am his wife, but I answer you with pleasure.. For the moment the bakeries can remain open because we are of first necessity for the people. We had to post a sign with some instructions: no more than 2 customers in the bakery. We must favor contactless credit card payments. And accept them from € 1. We put markings on the ground with tape. The saleswomen wear masks and gloves to serve the bread. Ideally, there are two saleswomen there for the sale so that one serves the bread, and the other touches only the money

When they are alone for sale, they put one glove in the left hand and two gloves in the right hand. When it is necessary to return the change, they lift a glove with the right hand

There was general panic the day before yesterday – and yesterday because the total containment started at noon. Now that the confinement has started, the bakeries are much quieter … we are still working well when we have returned to normal figures.

I am confined with our five-month old baby. Pierre works with the mask in the two bakeries. And now we are starting to have absentees.

So, that's how far we got in our Facebook conversation. But it gives you the picture from one of the bakeries on which so many people depend.