A few dozen restaurateurs, owners of bars and nightclubs and representatives of the hotel and catering sector gathered on Sunday in front of the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris to protest against the tightening of health measures affecting their establishments in the capital.
"I came to show my anger, we should not be an adjustment variable"
, told
AFP
Alain Fontaine, owner of the Parisian restaurant Le Mesturet, who came with his family to show that the "
survival
" of the sector is at stake .
“
There was time to prepare for 6 months (...).
What are we going to do if we don't find a vaccine?
It's endless
, ”he added.
The government on Thursday toughened the health measures taken to fight the coronavirus epidemic in eleven major French cities including Paris, where bars must close at 10 p.m. from Monday.
Restaurants that do not serve "
alcohol without food
" are not affected, said the prefecture, but many protesters feared Sunday that these guidelines were only a step before a wider closure.
"
We do not understand how the population is more safely crammed in the metro than in our establishments, nor how the virus at 9:59 pm is harmless, and will kill everyone at 10:01 pm
", said Stéphane Manigold, one of the door - speech of the collective “
Stay open
”.
At the head of four establishments including Maison Rostang, this restaurateur became famous thanks to his victory at the end of May against the insurer Axa, which refused to compensate for operating losses linked to Covid-19: he obtained the conclusion of 'a financial deal with Axa and the insurance giant has indemnified hundreds of other companies since.
“
We have made large investments to ensure security in our establishments, and we are told that we will be closed anyway.
It's as if we had thrown money down the drain,
”he continued.
"
Many people will not be able to repay the State Guaranteed Loan (PGE), it must be canceled,
" said Mr. Manigold.
In the cities of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, the closure of bars and restaurants will be total from midnight Sunday, according to a prefectural decree published on Sunday.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Marseille commercial court on Friday to protest against this measure.
