A heavy silence settled on Parc Astérix, in Oise. Where the roar of the merry-go-rounds and the shouts of joy resounded from the visitors, the birds' chirps remain. All life seems to have deserted the place since March 15. Any? No. Inside, some "irreducible Gauls" still resist again and again to repair, maintain, check the attractions and the scenery. With a shared desire to be able to reopen doors quickly to the public.
In total, they are undoubtedly less than in the Gallic BD village: only twenty employees only, for essential functions. “There is also some teleworking. But 90% of our workforce is partially unemployed, ”explains Nicolas Kremer, the director of the Park. A measure linked to the decline in activity but also to necessary savings.
“The situation is a bit complicated. We lose just under a million euros per day of closure. Spending must be reduced, ”he continues. Especially since the park was to inaugurate, for its opening on April 4, a new and superb hotel, "Les Quais de Lutèce" which cost more than 30 million euros…
No question, however, not to think about the future and therefore a possible return of the public. In front of the dolphinarium, just accompanied by the barking of the sea lions, Danielle Hottois, in charge of the accessories department, rips up a white kiosk. “We take advantage of the sun to give a little facelift to the decor. These are things that we don't always have time to do. We are working with 4 or 5 painters on the site at the moment. But it is true that it is a little odd ... Do not wait for the noise of the rides, the laughter of visitors, I miss it. We can't wait to open up, ”exclaims the woman who is celebrating 31 years at the Park this year.
The rides operate "at least once a week"
In the almost deserted alleys, where hinds and foxes now come to frolic in the evening, the Big Eight resemble large sleeping lizards. They are not completely. The team of Laurent Jourdrain, responsible for the maintenance of the attractions, is busy that day on the "Tonnerre de Zeus", the wooden roller coaster of the park. "We are reassembling a set of wagons that were undergoing maintenance outside and then testing it," he explains while two employees play with pliers and a screwdriver.
Further on, other cars are ballasted with dummies filled with water to carry out load tests. “All of our rides have been validated by the control authorities before April 4. But since then, they must be operated, at least once a week each. It's like a car: you have to run it regularly to avoid rust, humidity or the presence of air in the engines… We are now looking forward to having visitors come and have fun in it. "
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It remains to be seen when ... And there, no one has any certainty yet. "Of course, we would like to reopen as soon as possible. But unfortunately it does not entirely depend on us. This will require administrative permits. Then, we must be able to put in place all the measures to ensure the safety of visitors and employees, ”says the owner of the park.
On the last point, many options are still being explored. “Nothing is stopped. It will be necessary to distance themselves from the queues, that's for sure. To force a hand cleaning in the tails but also while going up in the attraction. In the wagons, we will condemn a place on two and the mask would be compulsory. But all of this is conditional, ”carefully describes Nicolas Kremer.
Multiple questions that still leave too many doubts for an opening in the summer, even if the director still clings to this hypothesis: "the ideal, the dream, would be an opening in late June to prowl the device and start well July ". By Toutatis, it only remains to implore the Gallic gods.
Reopen or not, the delicate equation
Staying in France this summer should be the common lot for all French people ... But many hope to be able to do something there other than walking in the streets or in nature. Like going, for example, to an amusement park or an animal park. If the hypothesis remains valid, nothing is acted by the government for the moment and the first phase of deconfinement, between May 11 and June 2, risks being decisive.
On the side of the president of Snelac (National Syndicate of Leisure, Amusement and Cultural Spaces), optimism is in order, at least for the outdoor parks. “For me, there is no shadow of a doubt: we will be open for the summer. We know how to manage flows, we will be able to enforce social distancing and put in place the appropriate sanitary measures ”, estimates Arnaud Bennet, also director of the park Pal, in Auvergne.
If the arguments put forward eventually convince the government, there will still be another pitfall: that of profitability. At Asterix, Nicolas Kremer is clear: "If the State sets too low entry gauges, less than 1000 people per day, for us it will not be worth opening. It would cost us more in operating costs than it would bring us… ”
This is also, according to the Daily Mail, the question posed by the multinational Disney. The newspaper announces the possible closure of all of the group's sites around the world, including the Ile-de-France park, until 2021. But on Tuesday May 5, Disney announced, through its director general, the reopening of Shanghai park on May 11. A decision, in the form of a test, which should be enough to give a little morale to all fans of Disneyland Paris.