Saturday, January 30: a weak wind of hope, force 1, circulates in the long alleys of Geric. This Linkling juggernaut, sitting on 22,074 m² shopping arcade, is not under any illusion: its surface exceeds the new standards decreed by the government. Which, in its desire to toughen health measures in the face of Covid, requires the closure of shopping centers of more than 20,000 m². At 5 p.m., the curtain falls. Since that date, the site has been plunged into a deep artificial coma.
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Equal treatment
“It’s long, very long, too long,” laments director Jean-Marie Louis. The congratulations sent by the sub-prefecture at the end of the first confinement, in May 2020, seem far away: “We were then praised for the protocol put in place for the resumption of activity. Today, after almost three months of closure, we feel that we are being punished because we are working in an enclosed space. “
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With the exception of the hypermarket and a handful of essential shops, this temple of consumption sinks into anonymity. “Few voices are raised to demand our reopening”, regrets the leader. Like some customers he met in the depopulated premises of Geric, he did not understand the difference in treatment with other commercial spaces: “A lady asked me why our tobacco shop was closed. The same goes for hair salons: with us, they are not allowed to work. Today we are calling for equality ”.
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“Concrete device”
Hope is reborn, this time driven by winds of force 5. Emmanuel Macron’s latest announcements nonetheless converge towards a lifting of restrictions, especially on May 19. Geric does not want to miss this opportunity: “It is imperative that we reopen at the same time as the others”, insists Jean-Marie Louis. He knows the volatile clientele. Breaking the habits taken over the past three months, “like buying on online sales platforms”, will not be easy: “It is a cause for additional concern”.
“Everything is ready, we are in the starting blocks! Geric intends to rely on a precise sanitary protocol to convince the public authorities: installation of new dispensers of hydroalcoholic gel, installation of new signage, real-time visitor counting system, etc. “We can show off at any time,” assures Stéphanie Lemoine. The president of the merchants’ association brushes aside the expression used by Jean Castex last January: “Shopping centers, privileged areas of contamination? No study proves that the centers are clusters. Geric is a closed place but our device is concrete ”. Reinforced concrete for deconfinement.
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