“It is inevitably a strong disappointment compared to the expectations”, comments the president of the Committee of Culture, Laurent Lafon, at the announcement of the decision of the Council ofIT’Stat.
Seized of a summary freedom for the reopening of theaters, cinema and theater, the highest administrative jurisdiction on Wednesday, December 23, rejected the request of the actors concerned.
Degradation of the health situation
“The closure of cinemas, theaters and auditoriums seriously undermines freedoms, while the health protocols put in place make it possible to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus”, recognizes the Judge of the Council ofIT’Stat. However, this decision is justified “because of a newly deteriorated and uncertain health situation”.
“If the decision had been taken just after the deconfinement, it would surely have been different”, notes Laurent Lafon, following the reasoning of the Council ofIT’Stat. The Judge for interim measures in fact motivates this rejection by “a deterioration of the health situation during the recent period, from an already very high epidemic plateau, and which could prove to be even more worrying at the beginning of January” .
“Culture is the last wheel of the coach”
The discovery ofa new variant of the virus in the UK constitutes another risk factor for the Judge. “It is an element of context which was not topical at the time when the closure of the theaters was decided”, estimates the senator PS, David Assouline.
If he does not relativize the health situation, the socialist senator from Paris insists on the treatment reserved for the world of culture: “It is the last wheel of the coach and the examination of the budget is often a moment of truth to verify it. “.
David Assouline, like his colleagues, recalls that the National Assembly has “ratified” all additional credits granted to the sector by the Senate, during the examination of the finance project for 2021. “We will need compensation, enhanced exceptional aid”, he warns.
Unequal treatment
Another reason for misunderstanding: “The inequality of treatment reserved for cultural places” which take for comparison shops, transport or places of worship. On the set of Public Senate, actor Philippe Torreton was indignant at measures deemed inconsistent: ” Let’s be serious, we cannot say that we do not open theaters to avoid the displacement of the population and at the same time remove the travel certificates. “
Senators demand compensation
Laure Darcos, LR senator from Essonne, would like to remind you that the study by the Institut Pasteur which indicates that only 0.46% of the contaminations would have occurred in a cultural place. “I do not understand why we did not leave cultural places open for at least a few weeks during the holidays”, blows the senator.
The worst, according to her, is to have let them believe that a reopening was possible, generating promotion costs for the artists. While many fear a resurgence of the epidemic after the end of the year holidays, and therefore the maintenance of the closure, the senators of the Culture committee call with one voice on the government to provide exceptional aid for the sector.
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