Coronavirus: Corsica goes into red zone, bars close at midnight

Corsica, placed since Sunday in the red zone of "active circulation of the virus", will have to close its bars at midnight throughout the island, announced at a press conference in Ajaccio the prefect Pascal Lelarge.

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A decree published in the Official Journal on Sunday classified the two Corsican departments in the red zone, as well as five other French departments, which means that reinforced measures against the coronavirus can be adopted there.

"There will be no more alcohol service or bar activity from midnight. Correspondingly, there will be no take-away sale of alcohol or transport and consumption of alcohol on public roads in from 11:00 pm ", underlined the prefect of Corsica.

"The idea is to observe what happens"

Wanting to be "proportionate" in his measures, the prefect of Corsica, on the other hand, indicated that they do not concern catering activities.

"It is necessary that the restaurateurs can do the second service, and then the customers are seated. There, the hours will remain those of the catering", he insisted, specifying that "the idea is to observe what it happens".

"If this does not go well, we will draw the consequences", added Pascal Lelarge.

According to data communicated by the Regional Health Agency, Corsica has experienced a new significant progression of the epidemic for three weeks.

"The number of positives increased by 32% compared to the previous week," pointed out the director general of the ARS of Corsica, Marie-Hélène Lecenne, warning that these rates "will increase further".

In the Bouches-du-Rhône, one of the first departments classified in the red zone with Paris, the prefecture had decreed the closure of bars and restaurants at 11 p.m. on August 27, before relaxing the measure by imposing a closure at 12:30 a.m. Saturday.