The discos hope to be able to reopen their doors between June 30 and the first days of July, and preparations are continuing to be fully ready.
This Thursday, two representative unions of the sector - the Umih and the GNI - presented the draft health protocol in discussion with the government, and the broad outlines of which have been validated, we are told.
However, this is only a project, which can therefore evolve, particularly with regard to gauges and certain other aspects.
Read also: The pressure is mounting around nightclubs, closed until further notice
The reopening would take place in two stages and could evolve depending on the health situation, detailed the national president of Umih Nuit, Thierry Fontaine. First, from the resumption - hoped for on June 30 - to July 30, it would be necessary to present either a health pass including proof of vaccination, or a virological test (either PCR, or antigen or self-test) of less than 48 hours to hope enter the establishment. Otherwise, a saliva self-test should be performed in front of the building, under the supervision of the staff. If this is negative, access would be allowed.
The discotheques hope to recover the self-test stocks of the National Education, considering that these are today unused.
Otherwise, it will be necessary to determine which establishment, the State or the customer will have to pay it.
It would be “
strongly recommended
”, but not mandatory, to perform a PCR test “
5 to 7 days after the event
”.
A 65% gauge would be put in place indoors, and 85% for outdoor discos.
Inside, attendance would be capped at 1,000 people, against 3,000 outside.
Very few establishments fall into this category on the territory.
Then, from July 31 to the end of August, the upstream rules - health pass, self-test etc.
- would remain in place, but the gauge should change to 85% for the interior and 100% for the exterior.
The caps are expected to increase to 1,500 and 3,000 people respectively.
The DJ will have to remind the sanitary rules
In exchange for these concessions, professionals hope to convince the government not to impose the wearing of masks on the dance floor. A point still under discussion. The mask, on the other hand, should be worn when moving around the establishment, as well as when ordering or paying. “
Consumption at the counter is prohibited, except when seated,
” says the draft protocol, and the tables could only accommodate six people at most. The smoking room should be limited "
to 25% of its capacity in phase 1
", then to 50% in August. It would be forbidden to consume on the dance floor.
In July as in August, a QR code would be set up at the entrance of establishments, as well as a paper reminder book for those who do not want or cannot use their smartphone.
A Covid referent should be appointed, and ventilation should be used, by renewing the air as much as possible in the establishment.
Health rules should also be constantly reminded, including by the DJ, who must mention them "
at the microphone
" during the evening.
200 nightclubs have closed since March 2020
Some specific points remain under discussion: professionals hope to increase the gauges from 65% to 85% indoors. “
The government must hear us
,” pleaded Thierry Fontaine, specifying that the profession was negotiating
ad hoc
“
adjustments
” to the protocol. A failure of exchanges on this point will "
not slow down the opening on June 30,
" he added: this figure of 65% remains above the break-even point for the establishment.
In addition, professionals count on maintaining aid, under the same conditions as other activities in the hotel and catering sector and maintaining 100% for establishments that remain closed. "
We have 200 discotheques which have filed for bankruptcy since the start of the crisis
", out of the 1600 which dot France, worried the GNI, pleading for a "
plan to help restart discotheques
".
All 1,400 active establishments will not be able to resume in July, the representatives detailed: some will not be able to meet the criteria of the protocol, in particular in terms of ventilation.
But the sector hopes to gain visibility quickly, to prepare for the recovery.
We understand that the meeting of June 21 around the President of the Republic will be decisive in making an official political decision, even if “
reopening trends
” should emerge sooner.
The “
will
” is there: “
we are preparing to reopen on June 30,
” the representatives assured.
"This summer, no matter what, people will be celebrating"
Roland Héguy, Confederal President of Umih
“
Last summer,
it was rubbish,” said GNI boss Didier Chenet, for whom nightclubs are the only ones able to manage the party in good conditions. The private parties, organized when they closed, "
exploded last summer
", insisted Thierry Fontaine, hoping that this situation regretted by local elected officials will not happen again this year. “
Professionals know how to avoid overflows. This summer, whatever happens, people will celebrate,
”warned the confederal president of Umih, Roland Héguy.
For professionals, the draft protocol should allow the sector weighing one billion euros in annual turnover to resume at the end of June. 30,000 direct jobs are at stake, they said. If the health situation continues to improve, the protocol can be reduced accordingly over the summer. Everyone hopes to see it downright reduced at the start of the school year.
For the time being, the Umih and the GNI continue to fight, in particular on the gauge and the question of the provision of self-tests. The precise date of the resumption is not fixed either, between the end of June and the first weekend of July. We will have to wait for the meeting desired by Emmanuel Macron to find out more, but the sector intends to welcome revelers this summer. "
The various blockages to reopen are no longer necessary
," said Roland Héguy.