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Ile-de-France: when can leisure centers reopen?

2020-05-18T17:08:04.243Z


In a letter addressed to the Minister of the Interior, the presidents of the 12 leisure islands of Ile-de-France, including Etampes and Draveil (Essonne


In Draveil as in Etampes, it is always closed. The two leisure islands of the department remain closed to the public, while the deconfinement enters its second week, and the calendar for restarting activities remains very vague. Behind the scenes, impatience grows in the face of this prolonged lockdown. Last Thursday, Valérie Pécresse, the president (Libres!) Of the Ile-de-France region wrote to Christophe Castaner, the Minister of the Interior, to request the reopening of the twelve leisure islands in the region.

This Monday, the presidents of these twelve sites followed suit in a joint letter also sent to the Minister of the Interior, who also calls for this reopening. Contacted, the region did not respond to our requests for a possible response from the ministry to this letter.

"These leisure islands have a social vocation that should perhaps be remembered," proclaims Georges Tron, mayor (LR) of Draveil and president of the leisure island of Port aux Cerises. All of our neighborhoods are under pressure after two months of confinement. These sites serve as an outlet when the need to exercise physically is very important. Above all, no one understands that walking in the Sénart forest is authorized and that the leisure centers remain closed. "

"We would simply like to be able to welcome walkers"

For his part, Abdel Ammari, the director of the leisure island of Draveil, deplores the lack of visibility that persists. "We are still unaware of the health protocols that will have to be respected when the public returns," he says. In Draveil, I plan to extend the activities of our sports and cultural village, usually from two weeks to four this year. This event allows young people to have access to different sports initiations for the symbolic sum of one euro. "

The pool at the Etampes leisure center may not open this summer. LP / Florian Garcia  

A few tens of kilometers further south, on the second leisure island of the department, the determination to welcome the public is the same. “We are ready,” assures the regional advisor and director of the Etampes site, Gérard Hébert (LR). At first, we would simply like to be able to welcome walkers. This 147-hectare green lung close to the city center is sorely missed by residents. "

The swimming pools probably also closed

The question of swimming remains much more uncertain. For Georges Tron, you should not plan to dive this summer in the wave pool of Port aux Cerises. “Opening up the bathing area requires very long work upstream. One can imagine that the security conditions imposed will be very onerous. I do not see how swimming could open. "

Welcoming 6,000 people around a pool and slides while respecting barrier gestures and physical distance seems indeed complicated. “Usually, the pool is already in water and our teams have carried out all the technical checks, recalls Abdel Ammari. This year is not the case. As in every year, the wave pool in Etampes was due to reopen to the public in early July. "We'll see ... But with a capacity of 2,000 swimmers, it's really not sure," says Gérard Hébert.

Already 60% of turnover lost in Draveil

Financially, a summer closure of the swimming area would be a serious blow for the leisure island of Draveil. Especially since its managers had this year the project to widen the opening by two months, from June to September. "With the closings of our activities in March and April, we are already experiencing a drop of almost 60% in our turnover," adds the site manager of Draveil.

There remains the question of employment, and seasonal workers expected for the summer period. "For Etampes, this question comes back to the UCPA which is in charge of the animation," notes Gérard Hébert. It is still too early to know if there will be repercussions for them. But what is certain is that their presence is necessarily linked to activities. "

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Source: leparis

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