This is a moment many French are impatiently waiting for: the reopening of closed stores, terraces, and cultural places. During his address on March 31, Emmanuel Macron announced closed places might start reopening from May 15, 2021. “From mid-May, we will start reopening some cultural places. We will allow - under conditions - the opening of terraces, and we will build between mid-May and early summer, a progressive reopening schedule for culture, sport, leisure, events, cafés and restaurants”, the Head of State explained.
Covid: restaurants, museums, bars, movie theaters, gyms... to reopen on May 15?
As cultural life is almost at a standstill for months, and that restaurants, gyms, bars, places of nightlife are closed for even longer, Emmanuel Macron has just given hope to the French: in his address on March 31, the French President announced the reopening agenda of all these places will start on May 15, 2021. [Read more]
Could this goal be met? Will museums, movie theaters and even bar and restaurants terraces be able to receive people again from mid-May? Interviewed on that matter this April 8 on LCI, immunologist Alain Fischer – also nicknamed the government’s “Mister Vaccine” – did not hide his concerns as for this possible reopening from mid-May, saying he does “not know if this goal could be met on May 15. […] Today, honestly, I don’t know”, Fischer told the journalists interviewing him.
“Of course, this is a goal and everyone legitimately aspires to progressively get back to a better social life”, he went on before adding “Yet, I’m cautious, because the spread (of the Covid epidemic – editor’s note) in France remains very high”.
And as European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton announced herd immunity could be reached by July 14 in Europe, Fischer hopes France will reach herd immunity by the end of August. “There are several uncertain elements, the first one being how far will the population comply with vaccination”, Fischer explained.
This April 8, 2021, over 10 million French have been given the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
