INFO EUROPE 1
The coronavirus will have finally got the better of the traditional May 1st street lily of the valley sale. Sales of lily of the valley at florists will only be possible on Friday "on delivery and withdrawal of order", the government said on Thursday, stressing that the rules "which have led to the ban on the activity of most shops" do not "are not lifted, including for May 1".
The French Federation of Craftsmen Florists had initially indicated in the afternoon having obtained from the Prime Minister the authorization to sell the traditional lucky charm in front of the flower shops, closed to the public since March 17 like most of the others shops.
>> LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation
A misunderstanding
Contacted by Europe 1, the Prime Minister's services for their part evoke a misunderstanding and the somewhat hasty rejoicing of florists. But for Florent Moreau, the president of the Federation of Florists, it is above all "a little delicate blur on the part of the government". "I find this unfortunate for the florists who are committed to participating in this important celebration," he judges at the microphone of Europe 1.
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> How many deaths at home should be added to the epidemic?
> What is the purpose of AlloCOVID, the telephone platform that uses artificial intelligence?
> Why we will have to wait before finding masks in pharmacies
> Coronavirus: can the MMR vaccine be dangerous for children?
> These platforms which help to find a job during confinement
Especially since May 1 is not only a "celebration", it is especially the "fourth day of activity of the year", he recalls. This has mechanically "a non-negligible [economic] impact" for the florists, who also estimate that they lost nearly 350 million euros during the two months of compulsory closure of containment.
>> PODCAST - Coronavirus: find all the answers to your questions here
It will still be possible to find thrush
But this ban will not prevent the French from finding thrush on Friday. Some florists are open, it is necessary to reserve their strand, and to come and pick it up in the store, without entering it. Alternatively, they can partner with bakeries, tobacconists or fruit and vegetable shops so that French people who want to buy lily of the valley can still decorate their homes with pretty white bells.