REPORTAGE
Duty-free alcohol and cigarettes, petrol or even washing powder ... Thousands of French people rushed to the Pyrenean principality of Andorra, which opened its borders and shops on Monday after two and a half months of closure. The first customers showed up at dawn, at 4 a.m. Access from the Ariège was blocked, with a traffic jam of over ten kilometers due to border controls.
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"We came to get cigarettes and alcohol," says Didier, a resident of the valley near the principality. "We live right next door, we went up early, at 6.30 am." It feels good to the wallet! "" It's just the price of cigarettes that I missed, not the fact of going up here, "quips Jessica, his partner. "The cartridge costs me 35 euros, while it is 85/90 euros in France."
Signposted sidewalks, mandatory mask…
In the many supermarkets in the principality of Andorra, the mask is compulsory and the hydroalcoholic gel available at the entrance. The country's 77,000 inhabitants have all been tested at least twice, and trade represents an important part of the Andorran economy. The principality therefore found itself deprived of significant resources during these two and a half months of confinement.
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The sector has therefore adapted to the need to welcome many customers from France and attracted by the low prices charged in Andorra. "We marked the sidewalks to have a sense of traffic and avoid people crossing," says Jean-Jacques Carrié, the president of local merchants. "At each pedestrian crossing, there are puppets drawn, to remind people to keep their distance. We hope to leave, and above all in good conditions." Many stores have decided to test staff in contact with foreign customers every two weeks to prevent the epidemic from picking up again in the country.