Jean-Luc Moudenc, Mayor of Toulouse, July 3, 2020 in the Salle des Illustres du Capitole.

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Frédéric Scheiber / 20 Minutes

  • Jean-Luc Moudenc was present this Tuesday morning at the inauguration of Meett, the new exhibition center in the Toulouse area.

  • The mayor of Toulouse and president of the metropolis regretted the cancellation of the International Fair which was to start on Saturday, decided after the announcement on Monday of new health measures from the prefect of Haute-Garonne.

  • The elected representative believes that political decisions will be useless without awareness of the citizens.

This Tuesday morning should have been extremely busy at Meett, the brand new Exhibition Center in the Toulouse area, located in Beauzelle.

Four days before the start of the international fair, journalists and politicians invited for the press visit expected to slalom between the exhibitors in the middle of setting up stands.

In fact, the place was almost empty, as the event that was to launch the giant new structure with great fanfare was canceled on Monday.

Bars closed earlier in Toulouse and gatherings of more than 1,000 people banned in Haute-Garonne https://t.co/kEyqbCMZ9N via @ 20minutes pic.twitter.com/hE4SmUFhIU

- 20 Minutes Toulouse (@ 20minutestoul) September 21, 2020

An immediate consequence of the announcements of the prefect of Haute-Garonne to strengthen the fight against Covid-19, on which returned Jean-Luc Moudenc, LR mayor of Toulouse and president of the metropolis.

Are these new prefectural measures a hard blow for the city?

I very much regret that just a few days before the start of the Fair, it was canceled.

I understand that when such an event is reduced to 1,000 people, there is no longer an economic balance and that it is therefore compromised.

We could have come to terms with maintaining a gauge of 5,000, due to the exceptionally large nature of the Meett.

The application of a uniform rule in the largest building in the metropolis, considered a smaller building, I find that raises questions.

But if the mayor has an opinion on this, he does not have the power, which is in the hands of the prefectural authority.

How do you react to the obligation for bars and restaurants to close at 1 am?

It is a lesser evil because it allows establishments to provide a second service.

But we have to put all that into perspective.

Whether we close bars and restaurants at 11 p.m., midnight, 1 a.m., 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., all of this will not produce much effect if each and every citizen does not restore self-discipline and respect for barrier gestures.

No matter how much we take all the measures, the public authorities may well supervise, limit, prohibit, oblige ... All this has no strong effectiveness if each and every one does not change and does not return to the attitudes of prudence that have been those of Toulouse just after May 11 [date of the start of deconfinement].

Are you worried about tougher measures if the epidemic worsens?

I dread continuing the curve in the wrong direction.

On August 19, when the prefect decided to make it compulsory to wear a mask [in Toulouse], we hoped that after a few weeks, people would reestablish barrier gestures and that the figures would improve.

Unfortunately, a month later, we noticed that the figures have deteriorated sharply.

Once again, the key is not the prefect or the mayor, it is individual behavior.

I make a solemn appeal to the individual and collective responsibility of Toulouse residents.

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  • Jean-Luc Moudenc

  • Covid 19

  • Coronavirus

  • Toulouse

  • Society