In Lille as everywhere in France, the police patrolled the terraces of bars and restaurants to check that the sanitary rules were respected.

But for this first day of reopening, priority was given more to pedagogy than to verbalization. 

REPORTAGE

After long months of waiting, the French were finally able to find the terraces of bars and restaurants, while the managers of the establishments were delighted to be able to welcome their customers again.

But this reduction in measures is still partial, and must be done in accordance with a gauge of 50% of reception capacities, while a table must not accommodate more than six people.

So many rules that the patrolling police officers watched all day to enforce, as in Lille, where Europe 1 went. 

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"Six per table, no one inside to go to the toilets" ... Place de la Gare, the members of the patrol remember the instructions to be observed.

Then, from terrace to terrace, the police go to meet the managers of bars and brasseries.

"Do you manage to manage?", They ask the various owners of establishments.

"Everyone plays the game"

Many restaurants and cafes had refueled with a 50% limit.

But thanks to the extension of the terraces authorized by the city, Thomas Bigear, the boss of the 3 Brewers, did not notice any overflows.

“Everyone is playing the game”, he assures the microphone of Europe 1. “People are very attached to the idea of ​​having a good time on the terrace and understand that we cannot move the tables. , that we must keep the mask ... It's no problem. "

"We're not going to start verbalizing right away"

As for the police, it is a benevolent control operation which is carried out for this first day of reopening.

"We gauge, we warn them, we simply tell them to pay attention to this or that," said one of them.

"They have suffered a lot of damage for a year ... We are not going to start verbalizing right away, that's not the goal. But if we let some small things happen, in eight days, there will really be too many people everywhere. "

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Wednesday evening and in the days to come, the terraces of the bars in the student district will be inspected by the police.

And to believe the prefecture, the indulgence will only have a time.