"If we have to put it on, we will put it on, but it is not cheerful, given the temperatures here! “Originally from Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), Michel is on vacation and admired the yachts in the port of Saint-Tropez (Var), Friday August 7, when he saw the first posters of the municipality blooming on the quay. From midnight, wearing a mask will be compulsory outdoors almost everywhere: in the port, in the city center and in the old town. This is the decision taken by the prefect, a consequence of the crazy world the village is currently experiencing, and therefore the increased risks. Moreover, the cases of Covid-19 in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez have jumped in recent days: 64 in total.
The situation is all the more worrying as, on the beaches, a certain relaxation reigned at the beginning of July. And it is precisely in festive places that cases of coronavirus have multiplied. Result: in the middle of the season, the closures of establishments follow one another.
Two restaurants, located on the famous Place des Lices, had to lower the curtain at the end of July after the discovery of 18 cases of Covid-19 among employees. A restaurant on Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle suffered the same fate when two seasonal workers tested positive for the coronavirus. Le Noto, a popular Italian restaurant, also came to a halt in the middle of summer. Finally, a case of Covid-19 was detected in a child in a leisure center which led to its immediate closure. Again Friday, in Sainte-Maxime, a Children's House also closed, for prevention after the discovery of a positive case in a mother.
"A new localized focus"
Very often, the administrative closure, decided for two weeks, signals the "end of the season" for restaurant managers. "Perhaps, but investigations show that two thirds of cases concern people who have frequented places of catering where staff tested positive", notes the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Health Agency.
To avoid chain reactions, the municipality of Saint-Tropez has therefore taken the plunge by opting to wear the compulsory mask, but well behind its neighbors on the Côte d'Azur, Nice and Cannes. “Concerning Saint-Tropez, we can indeed speak of a new localized focus,” explained Sébastien Debeaumont, departmental director of the Regional Health Agency in the Var.
"The rules of physical distancing cannot be guaranteed day or night, given the high concentration of people", comments the prefecture. She also points to the indiscipline of some beach bars that tolerate customers dancing on tables or around a swimming pool, without any physical distancing.
“But that's part of the Saint-Tropez legend! argues Marc, a regular at Pampelonne beach. We eat well, we party, we sprinkle with champagne… Do you see yourself doing that with a mask? "
The gendarmes keep watch
He will have to, however, because the gendarmes are watching. About a hundred checks have been carried out on the sand in recent days and a beach restaurant has had to lower the curtain temporarily because some waiters did not have their faces protected.
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Groups of clients "too close" on the establishment's terrace were also spotted by the gendarmes. On the sand, the party is no longer in full swing. For Mathias, working at the Tahiti restaurant on Pampelonne beach, wearing a mask has become a reflex: “Serving at the table or on the sand, in the dip or in the kitchen: all the staff are masked from morning to evening. We cannot take any risk for our customers. The deckchairs and all the equipment are systematically disinfected. “On the port, even the painters work protected. "It's especially difficult when it's hot, but you have no choice, eh?" », Remark, philosopher, Guy, in front of his easel.
Everywhere, municipal police officers patrol and warn. But, in the alleys of the old town, the concentration of people is such that it is impossible to pass without brushing against your neighbor. “How do you want to respect the distances in these conditions? », Blows a shopkeeper. "But we are not going to tear down the walls of Saint-Tropez to make room anyway ..." Finally, the measure is fairly well taken by the public. On the terrace of the famous Sénéquier, masks are still rare among consumers, but at the entrance, you have to run your hands under a tap of hydroalcoholic gel.
