简体中文
Vibrant streets, busy cafes and restaurants, Cergy, a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, was back to life on Monday after being deserted in the past three months.
As one of the worst-hit zone by the COVID-19, the commune had seen deserted streets and closed shops and bars under the anti-coronavirus confinement imposed since mid-March.
The deconfinement started on May 11, but cafes, bars and restaurants were not allowed to reopen until June 2 with those in Great Paris region, classified as orange zone, as exceptions. The catering service in the region could only serve on outdoor terraces with their interior space remaining closed until June 21.
However, President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday hailed "a first victory" over the epidemic and announced a return to normalcy across the country, which allowed all restaurants and cafes to reopen on Monday, a week earlier than the original schedule.
It's long-anticipated good news to people in the catering industry, such as Emir, a manager of Turkish food restaurant. "We have been looking forward to this news. We are so excited to resume activity as usual, to be able to sit inside rather than exclusively on outdoor terraces," he said.
The 30-year-old man told Xinhua that easing the quarantine rules would further make people feel safe to leave their homes and increase their appetite to dine out after being locked down for a long period.
"I think the worst is behind us. Stoves are on, almost all the tables are occupied, people find again the pleasure to share a good meal with family, friends. And we have found the pleasure to see an agitated kitchen again during rush hours," said Emir, beaming with joy.
The earlier-than-expected easing is beautiful music to the ears of Pervez, whose Himalaya restaurant, without terrace, reopened in early June only for home deliveries and takeaway service. But now, full-service is set to back on Tuesday noon.
"It's so important to open sooner-than-expected. A week matters a lot in terms of revenue. The sooner we return to normal activity, the better we compensate for the loss we suffered during the shutdown, even if we are working at half-capacity due to physical distancing," said Pervez.
"Obviously, tomorrow is a new start. But unanswered questions over the end of the epidemic, a risk of the virus resurgence makes me holding my breath," he added.
Earlier on Monday, French Health Minister Olivier Veran told LCI television "the largest part of the epidemic is behind us, but the virus is not dead."
He called on people to remain vigilant. "We are controlling its circulation, (but) we did not completely defeat it."
To stem the spread of the COVID-19, France ordered the shutdown of its non-essential activities on March 14 -- three days before a nationwide lockdown. The lockdown further dented the catering industry in France, which had been weakened by the terror attacks of 2015, the demonstrations of the "yellow vests" and the strikes against the pension reform at the end of 2019.
"Being able to finally get back to work across all of France does bring a sigh of relief," Didier Chenet, head of the GNI association of independent hotel and restaurant owners, told France 24 television.
But he warned that "a recovery will be very slow, with economic conditions that are not viable for our businesses."
According to Roland Heguy, president of the Union of Trades and Hotel Industries, "between 10 to 15 percent of restaurants in the country could close permanently" because of the epidemic.
As part of a support package to help pandemic-hit sectors, the French government announced that tourism businesses, including hotels and restaurants, would benefit from partial unemployment schemes, state loan guarantees, and tax and payroll charge deferrals.
(by Sonia Ounissi)
