INTERVIEW
During the presentation of phase 2 of the deconfinement on Thursday, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced the reopening, from June 2, of the cafes, bars and restaurants of the "green" departments. Establishments in the "orange zone" will only be able to reopen their terraces from June 2. An announcement expected after two and a half months of forced closure due to coronavirus. "This is a great relief for the whole profession. The sector will finally be able to get its head out of the water," commented Roland Héguy, the president of the Union of Trades and Industry. hotel industry (UMIH) on Europe 1 Friday.
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"We are ready"
These reopenings are accompanied by a strict health protocol. In these establishments, the wearing of a mask will be compulsory for the staff, and for customers when they move around the establishment. In addition, each group of guests must be separated by one meter and groups will be limited to 10 people maximum. Or a whole new organization to set up.
"We worked in co-construction with the government and employers' organizations to put this health protocol in place," explains Roland Héguy. "There was training to do with our employees. This is what we did," he adds. And to assure: "We are ready. We are very happy to be able to welcome our customers as quickly as possible in the best conditions."
"Many restaurants will double the time slots"
If he does not deny that customers will need a little time to adapt, he says he is confident about their arrival. "Very quickly, the customer will be reassured," predicts Roland Héguy. Especially since the restaurant and hotel industry is used to hygiene checks.
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But such a health protocol will be expensive for professionals in the sector. It will not necessarily be profitable for them to reopen their restaurant or cafe under these conditions. "If a restaurant can accommodate 50/60 customers can only receive 15 or 20 customers, the question will arise," concedes the president of the UMIH. He believes that the sector will have to show "ingenuity". For example, "a lot of restaurants will double their hours and work from noon to midnight," he explains.
In Ile-de-France, "very few establishments will open" on June 2
As for establishments in orange zones (Mayotte, Guyana and Ile-de-France) which will only be able to reopen their terraces, their mass reopening from June 2 is not guaranteed according to Roland Héguy. "Of the 20,000 establishments in Ile-de-France, a third have terraces," he recalls. "The notion of profitability will come into play."
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"It seems to me that this summer, there will be very few establishments that will open," said the man who is often in contact with these business leaders. "They tell me that it is not possible to open under these conditions there. They will wait until June 22 and see," he adds. Because to restart their activity, the catering sector must "limit economic breakage and also social class". "The terrace will not answer all that," says Roland Héguy.