Covid has turned our lives and our daily lives upside down. Masks, curfews, lockdowns, closure of non-essential businesses, the public has seen dictates pass. Among the changes brought about by the pandemic, the French have had to say goodbye to their cafes and restaurants that are the jewel of French culture. On the other hand, in Lyon and the Rhone Alpes department, restaurateurs received good news!
A partial reopening of Lyon restaurants:
Restaurants can re-open! But with a mandatory condition: Only for people working in construction. So for the moment, the general public will have to remain hungry while waiting for the reopening of these friendly places. Or, they can satiate their cravings with takeaway and consume them at home. This decision comes following negotiations undertaken by the construction federation, the Prefecture of Rhone and the UMIH (Union des Métiers et Industries de l'hôtellerie). The decree of the prefecture of Rhone specifies:
Construction companies (buildings and public works), whose employees are exposed to the cold, can enter into an agreement with a restaurant to temporarily turn it into a "company canteen".
This temporary solution will allow restaurants to reopen in order to mitigate the economic consequences of the health crisis. It should be noted that restaurants that will serve construction workers will still be able to keep their special COVID-19 state aid.
The framework that will apply to the restaurateurs concerned by this system will follow the same logic as that which prevails for the ancillary activity of click & collect in terms of taking into account the activity in the context of the support schemes: partial activity covered at 100%, exemptions from charges and solidarity fund
Reopen your restaurant under what conditions?
Be careful, not all restaurants will be able to reopen. Only those who sign an agreement with a construction company will be able to open its doors for lunch. It is imperative to have this agreement transmitted to the prefecture once signed. In order to avoid any abuse, construction employees must have their construction identification card. Restaurants will be strictly supervised by the prefecture and the reception of customers must be done in compliance with a strict health protocol. The website of the prefecture details:
- Distancing and limitation of the number of people at the table: 4 people maximum seated in staggered patterns, separated from each other by a seat, distance of 2 meters between each table.
- isolation of employees and workers into stable site groups in order to avoid mixing groups and companies (organization of several departments, use of different rooms, ventilation and disinfection between each group, etc.).
- Wearing a mask outside of meals.
A restaurateur may sign several agreements with different companies. This is provided that they intervene on the same site. It is the responsibility of the restaurateur to ensure that there is no mixing of groups and companies.
What does it matter?
According to the Fédération du BTP du Rhone, 52,000 construction workers are concerned by this measure. More than 200,000 restaurants in France have been closed since the end of October 2020. During all this time, they had to deal with very significant economic consequences. Many institutions have had to close down. The France has an important culture that revolves around gastronomy and food. This is especially true for Lyon, which is known as "Gastronomic Capital of France." According to figures from the CCI of the Métropole de Lyon, in mid-September 2019, Lyon had 1719 catering establishments. Home to great restaurateurs like Paul Bocuse, Lyon, like all France, has suffered from restaurant closures. Although the reopening does not apply to the general public, this partial opening of restaurateurs is a good sign. We must only hope that we can all find the conviviality of a good restaurant quickly.
