The horizon clears up very slightly for nightclubs.
This Monday, May 19, representatives of the sector, Bercy and the Ministry of Health met around 8 p.m.
On the agenda: the sanitary protocol to be observed in nightclubs, still in the dark about their reopening.
No official date was set at this meeting.
The executive remains in the matter faithful to its calendar: the sector will be fixed on its fate no later than June 15.
On the other hand, the discussions, which had been at a standstill since December 15, resulted in a new track: that of a test night in a discotheque, in the manner of what was envisaged for concert halls.
Radio silence since December
"
Bercy will accelerate the experimentation in real conditions and this same experimentation will have to be used to give a date of reopening
", thus makes known the Umih Nuit, which took part in this meeting, near the
Figaro
.
For the moment, neither the place nor the date of this test evening have been defined.
"
There will probably be one very quickly,
" advises Christian Jouny, delegate of the National Union of Discotheques and Leisure Places (SNDLL).
Read also: Without nightclubs, mayors of the coast fear "wild parties" this summer
A protocol had been proposed by the Ministry of Health in December. It involved "
neutralizing the dance floor
" and respecting a physical distance of two meters. So many conditions deemed incompatible with a normal resumption of activity. “
This implies dividing our reception capacity by five
,” emphasizes Christian Jouny.
Another element discussed during the meeting on Monday evening: the use of a health pass at the entrance to nightclubs, to ensure that no contamination is found in these establishments. The device, unless focusing on PCR tests, nevertheless remains incompatible with a "
young and poorly vaccinated population
" able to go to nightclubs, worry the main unions in the sector. Faced with this vagueness, Christian Jouny deplores “the impression of playing cat and mouse”.
The terms of the first test concerts have been fixed.
One of them is scheduled for May 29, at the AccorHotels Arena (Paris).
The strict protocol planned for the occasion involves the use of cameras to detect the wearing of the mask, for statistical purposes.
But for now, this scientific experiment is struggling to attract the public.
Less than two weeks before the concert, 5,000 spectators are still missing, noted this May 18 the Prodiss, the union which co-organizes the event, to Franceinfo.
Another is planned for the same date in Marseille, Inserm recently announced in a stage point.
Two test evenings in Liverpool
And abroad ? The French representatives of the sector envy a large experiment carried out in the United Kingdom. On Friday April 30 and Saturday May 1, a Liverpool nightclub in quick succession hosted two test evenings. 3000 people were respectively expected. All had to show white paw to enter, providing proof of a negative antigenic screening for Covid-19. Participants were invited to perform a PCR test before and after the event. Disinfectant gel was made available on site. The mask was not compulsory. The reopening of clubs is scheduled for June 21 in the country.
Same case in Spain, where a full-scale test was carried out on March 27.
5,000 people attended a test concert in Barcelona, this time wearing their masks and having been subjected to an antigen test.
A month after the event, "
no sign
" of contagion was to be deplored.
Nightclubs are set to reopen on June 8 in the country.
Read also: Should we reopen the nightclubs on July 1?
Next step for French nightclubs: a hearing before the Council of State, scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, at 10 a.m.
The representatives of the sector very recently filed a summary involving the reopening of their establishments on June 30.
In France, one in four nightclubs is threatened with disappearance.