The latest data from the Regional Health Agency (ARS) communicated on Friday leaves little hope. Thursday, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran had granted a “reprieve” to Parisian cafetiers, saying he wanted to wait for the final rise in figures before placing Paris and its inner suburbs on “maximum alert”. A level where Aix-Marseille and Guadeloupe are already located.
Degradation of the health situation
However, since then, the indicators have not improved. The incidence rate (new cases of Covid-19 over seven days) still exceeded the 250 per 100,000 inhabitants mark in Paris on Friday, one of the three criteria for switching to the maximum alert zone. It stood at 264. The occupancy rate of intensive care beds for patients with Covid-19 was 34.8% in Ile-de-France, above the maximum alert threshold of 30 %. As for the third criterion, that of the incidence rate among those over 65, it also exceeded the critical threshold of 100.
The deterioration of the health situation is also reflected in this note sent on Friday by Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) to its human resources managers considering the cancellation of staff leave, during the All Saints holidays, due to Covid-19.
Therefore, within the executive, there is little mystery about his intention to completely close the bars, already forced for a week to lower the curtain at 10 pm in the capital. If the worsening observed for a few hours should be confirmed over the next few days, “We would have no other choice but to place Paris and the inner suburbs on maximum alert from Monday”, Olivier Véran said Thursday.
Restaurant owners make proposals
It will then be necessary “Reduce social interactions”, that is to say : “No more family celebrations, no more parties and the total closure of the bars”, added the Minister of Health. Restaurants are still hoping to escape this fate after proposing reinforced health control – taking the temperature of customers at the entrance, collecting their contact details and limiting groups of diners to eight – on which the High Council of Public Health must be. pronounce by Monday.
Paris like Marseille
The government has suggested that it will follow the advice of the court. If it validates the protocol, restaurants can therefore remain “all or part” open, even in “maximum alert” areas, and therefore reopen in Aix-Marseille. “There is no question of making differences in treatment because Paris and Marseille are placed from Monday in the same area” alert, says a government source.
Regarding the bars, the Parisian elected officials indicated that they would comply with any closure decision, which seems to exclude a sling wind like the one that had blown in Marseille last week. The mayors of the district are summoned Monday at 3 p.m. by Anne Hidalgo for an emergency meeting on the measures, according to one of them. According to an Elabe poll for BFMTV on Sunday, 61% of Ile-de-France residents would be in favor of the complete closure of bars in Paris and in the inner suburbs.
Other cities soon on high alert
If Paris is on the front line, other large cities, such as Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Toulouse and Saint-Etienne could also soon switch to the red alert zone and be affected by bar closings, while nearly 17,000 positive cases were detected in 24 hours in France, a record, according to figures on Saturday.
Concern for professionals
For the sector, already very weakened by the health crisis, it’s yet another hard blow. According to the main employers’ organization, Umih, around 15% of the 220,000 businesses in the sector (cafes, bars, hotels, restaurants, brasseries, nightclubs) could go out of business in the coming months in France. It is 220 to 250,000 employees who could find themselves unemployed.
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