While Belgium will wait Friday and Germany until March 4 to reopen clubs and nightclubs, France, which hopes to approach the end of the fifth wave after the surge linked to the Omicron variant, will allow these establishments closed since the 10 December to host the party again.

"We are going to work well this weekend", affirms Mathieu Lebrun, manager of the Le Milton nightclub in Baudre (Manche), "we want to be able to live from our profession, we like the night, to entertain people".

“We are relieved to see that the epidemic is receding in a severe way, happy to return almost to normal life,” he continues.

Some customers are "so happy that they took time off to feast" four nights in a row.

Almost two years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, while the government is considering lifting the vaccination pass for the end of March or the beginning of April - in the wake of Israel, England or Denmark -, thanks to a "very marked improvement" in the health situation, many anti-Covid restrictions will disappear on Wednesday.

Eating popcorn in a movie theatre, a sandwich in a stadium or on a train, or having a drink standing at a bar counter will once again be possible.

Minister Delegate for Tourism Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne salutes "the professionalism and seriousness of the nightlife, among the most penalized with 18 months of closure over two years of crisis, which has been a pioneer in the control of the health pass and the rapprochement with the ID of the pass holder".

"To quote Stromae: So let's dance!" he told AFP.

As for the resumption of standing concerts, it is tinged with "a lot of uncertainties", nuance Daniel Colling, president of the operating companies of the Zenith of Paris, Nantes and Toulouse.

“There have been so many postponements that we end up with 20% more shows in 2022. But I weigh up right away: we risk making less revenue because the shows are not attended as they should. observes a drop of 20-25%, and up to 30%, in attendance for certain shows", he specifies.

Covid-19: the calendar in France Cléa PÉCULIER AFP

Also "there are more + no-show +, that is to say that a spectator who has bought his ticket does not come" by "fear of the virus", says Mr. Colling.

© 2022 AFP