Covid-19: a hotel reopens on the Franco-Belgian border

Text by: Anissa El Jabri Follow

It is one of only two hotels open in Valenciennes, in the north of France. Closed just after confinement, the grand hotel in Valenciennes reopened its doors almost 3 weeks ago with new rules.

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From our special correspondent in Valenciennes,

What strikes you from the entrance is the silence. "  Since the start of confinement, we have had the feeling that it is Sunday every day,  " says Alexandre Fabris. The director brought back some life with the reopening and the reorganization of the activities.

"  We made the choice to define two zones, including one zone exclusively intended for the reception of take-away meals and for delivery," he explains. We moved tables that are normally in the brewery area. The principle is very clear, the customer arrives and does not in any case pass into the area exclusively reserved for the service.  "

In the hotel part, you go up to your room by the elevator, you go down by the stairs. Tables block access to the floors to prevent customers from crossing paths. Dinner is in the room, tray placed in front of the door.

For a future reopening of the restaurant, Alexandre Fabris has in any case already projects: "  We have lots of plans, it's more space tables, open other rooms that were not necessarily intended for catering at the base , to tell myself that I will keep my 100 place settings by spreading them out a bit on the ground floor. I am lucky to have very large areas so we will be able to play on it. but unfortunately not everyone is so lucky. "

Alexandre fabris hopes to reopen his establishment completely this summer, to see tourists deprived of holidays abroad come to discover the region, at least for a long weekend.

♦ On the Belgian side, French customers do not arrive

Shops reopened in Belgium on Monday. A fleeting moment of hope for border traders. In Belgium, tobacco is cheaper and some shops believed that the French would return despite the border still closed. Pain lost and gray mine in Quiévrain where our special envoy went.

The French before the border closed came here to buy these products 40% cheaper. It's been over for two months, traders had hoped this Monday that it would change ...

Report in a border tobacco shop in Belgium

Anissa El Jabri

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