China News Service, May 17th. According to a report compiled by the European Times, French media reported on May 16 that from the 19th, France will relax its epidemic prevention control: the curfew will be postponed to 21 o'clock in the evening, restaurants and cafes can be It operates in open air seats, and cultural venues such as museums, cinemas, and theaters will also be reopened under the premise of restricting passenger flow.
But at the same time, the shadow of the "fourth wave" of the epidemic is still looming.
The Paris city government announced that this summer will continue the practice of last year, opening pedestrian streets to provide terraces for bars and restaurants. Other cities also have similar plans, and at the same time take care of not setting pedestrian streets and restaurants without terraces.
The catering industry naturally welcomes it, but there are also residents who worry that it will be difficult to adapt to the return of noise.
The catering and cultural industry will reopen
According to Agence France-Presse, the French cinema, which has been closed since October 30 last year, will be able to reopen with a capacity of 35% and a maximum of 800 spectators, giving those films that suddenly failed at the box office last fall.
Museums, theaters, open-air zoos, libraries and all types of shops will also reopen with reduced passenger flow.
Restaurants, cafes and bars can receive guests in outdoor seats from the 19th, but the reception capacity is limited to 50%, and can accommodate up to 6 tables of guests.
Some catering industry is still waiting and watching
For some catering companies, the relevant restrictions are still too complicated, and the weather in May is cloudy and sunny, so they are not optimistic about the near-term business prospects.
Chef Philippe Etchebest stated that he will not reopen the restaurant’s outdoor seating on May 19th: “Can you imagine starting a huge machine, redoing the menu, calling all the employees back, but finally destroying everything. , Throw away all the ingredients-just because it rained? (Reopening business) This is impossible."
And in his opinion, this new policy will not involve all restaurants, because only 40% of restaurants in France have outdoor seating.
Therefore, he pinned his hope on a later release schedule, that is, on June 9, when restaurants and cafes can be opened indoors (there are still restrictions on the number of people), the curfew will be postponed to 23:00, and cultural venues are restricted. It will also be further relaxed.
Mixed prospects
With the remarkable improvement of the epidemic situation and the advancement of vaccination work, the prospects for further relaxation of restrictions now appear to be optimistic.
Especially since June 15th, all adults can be vaccinated, and the Minister of Health said that if circumstances permit, this date will not even be ruled out.
However, President Macron has previously warned that if there is a disturbing reversal of the epidemic curve, that is, if the number of new cases of 100,000 residents exceeds 400 on the 7th, the unblocking process may step on the "sudden brake".
Salomon, the director of the French General Administration of Health, emphasized in the media that social activities have restarted, but it is still necessary to comply with epidemic prevention procedures.
"If the local situation has to be so, we will take measures to return to the previous stage, and if necessary, negotiate with the local area and close the city in some areas."
Salomon also warned that France is not necessarily immune to the "fourth wave" of the epidemic. "Only when we successfully complete the vaccination work and minimize the spread of the virus can we achieve collective immunization."
He also emphasized the importance of implementing health passes in the future and restricting the entry of passengers from high-risk countries, especially since France has found 24 cases of the Indian variant virus, which makes people worry about the next step of the epidemic.
Paris set up a pedestrian street for restaurants this summer
The French RMC radio website reported that the Paris city government plans to change hundreds of streets into temporary pedestrian streets, following the practice after the closure of the city last year, to facilitate the establishment of outdoor seating in bars and restaurants.
Some or all of these streets have been converted into pedestrian streets. Stores can directly put dining chairs on the driveway, but several conditions must be met: there are more businesses in the street, the entry of ambulances or fire trucks will not be hindered, and public transportation must not be used Lanes and so on.
The pedestrian street measures will not be implemented immediately when the restaurant terraces are unblocked on May 19, because businesses and restaurant operators need to apply, and then the municipal government and the district government will approve it on a case-by-case basis. It is estimated that it will take "several weeks" to wait.
The Paris city government has not disclosed the specific implementation date, and the application has not yet been opened. The city government said it will start in July at the latest.
Merchants are excited and residents are worried
Some businesses can hardly hide their excitement. The Evi Evane restaurant in the 11th arrondissement of Paris does not have a terrace. Gloria, the staff member, said that the interior space of the restaurant is too small.
Another restaurant has a terrace, but the owner Mossani has always hoped to change it into a temporary pedestrian street. Because there are so many guests on weekends and the traffic volume is also large, it is "very troublesome" to start a business. I hope the government can bring "real" convenience measures. .
Some people are happy and some are worried. For nearby residents, pedestrian streets restrict vehicles and attract guests. Although fewer vehicles, more guests will also make noise.
Charlotte, who has lived in Paris for three years, said that in the past year or so, he has become accustomed to the quietness of not many pedestrians on the road. Now it is certainly not easy to adapt to the noisy environment.
Possky, the deputy mayor in charge of commercial affairs, believes that there is no need to worry too much about noise, because there may be only a small number of tourists in Paris this summer, and many locals will also go out for fun, and there are epidemic prevention restrictions, so there will be no large crowds.
In case a business fails to comply with the epidemic prevention regulations, the government can also cancel the pedestrian street at any time.
French restaurants in many cities can expand their "sites"
Although not all areas can be converted into pedestrian streets, restaurants all over France will be able to expand their "sites" according to the situation.
In Marseille and Bordeaux, cafes and restaurants with terraces can double the outdoor area until the end of September, and restaurants without terraces are also allowed to place a small number of seats on the sidewalk.
Nantes has planned to rebuild more than 20 pedestrian streets, and it will be extended until November 15th. At the same time, police inspections will be increased to ensure that businesses comply with epidemic prevention regulations and protect residents from nuisance.
Restaurants in Lille, Strasbourg, Brest and other cities will soon be able to open their terraces for business, provided that the curfew is observed by the end of June and the noise is controlled not to disturb the people.
Whether it’s setting up a pedestrian street or expanding a terrace, it’s a long-lost good news for French people. According to a poll conducted by Le Figaro, 59% of the respondents said that they would appear in cafes, cafes, and cafes on time on the 19th. On the outdoor seats of bars and restaurants.
(Kevin, Cai Jiayi)