Emmanuel Macron chaired a Defense Council on Saturday, followed by an exceptional Council of Ministers, to take stock of the coronavirus epidemic. At the end of the meetings, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced 16 new cases in France, or 73 since the end of January. " All the gatherings of more than 5000 people in confined spaces " are now canceled, said the minister.
»READ ALSO - gatherings of more than 5000 people in confined spaces canceled
This preventive measure intended to contain the spread of the Coronavirus could have consequences for the programming of artistic performances given in the largest halls. From the AccorHotels Arena in Bercy in Paris to the Arkea Arena in Bordeaux, passing the Zenith in Lille, Le Figaro lists the concerts, shows and cultural events that could be affected.
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In the Paris region, the AccorHotels Arena in Bercy, the Zénith and the Paris Défense Arena in Nanterre are the main rooms concerned. Unless the ban is lifted quickly, events such as the Nuit de Bretagne (Arena of Nanterre) or the concerts of Tryo, M Pokora or Romeo Elvis scheduled for early March are likely to be canceled. But the directors of these rooms have not yet communicated, in one way or another.
With gauges of less than 5000 seats, the other Parisian halls, such as the Opera Bastille, Garnier, the Pleyel hall, the Olympia, the Philharmonie, the Comédie-Française, the Odéon theater, the Châtelet theater or even Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt, are not affected by the ban. The management of the Philharmonie de Paris, whose large hall has 2400 seats, explains however "to be very attentive to the evolution of the situation". "Obviously, we will apply the special provisions which will be given to us by the competent authorities," said Porte de Pantin, where eleven concerts are playing by next weekend.
The Louvre, Orsay, Versailles remain open
If the performance halls are affected by the government measure, the major tourist sites escape the closure for the moment. The Louvre, the Orsay museum, Versailles for example, which welcome several thousand visitors each day, are not affected, said one to the Ministry of Culture. At the Louvre, in particular, no closure is planned at this time according to the communication service of the museum which welcomed last year more than 10 million visitors.
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In the rest of France, more than 80 sites are likely to accommodate more than 5,000 people for events or shows. If the cancellations have still to be confirmed by the organizers, several shows could be canceled or postponed in the coming days, such as the concerts of The Australian Pink Floyd or Jean-Louis Aubert, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Zenith Arena in Lille, or that of Boulevard des airs at the Arkea Arena in Bordeaux on Friday. Uncertainties also on the shows scheduled for this Saturday evening, such as the Chantal Goya show at the Palais Nikaïa in Nice or the Véronic Dicaire show at the Zénith in Strasbourg or the sold-out Bodin's show at the Zénith in Nantes. On the sites of these different rooms, the evenings seem to be maintained for the time being.