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The well-known end of the year celebrations in the French capital were canceled this Saturday, December 18, due to the resurgence of coronavirus infections. The announcement comes after a health defense council was held at the Hôtel de Matignon on Friday, in which Prime Minister Jean Castex announced a series of measures and restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Many French and tourists who are passing through these days in the city of Paris regretted the decision of the Government this Saturday, December 18.
The famous avenue des Champs Elysees, where the end of the year celebration was planned, will be empty on the last night of 2021. The mayor of Paris had planned a pyrotechnic show from the Arc de Triomphe and a set of DJs, an event that each year attracts between 300,000 and 600,000 viewers.
The cancellation follows the announcements made by Prime Minister Jean Castex on Friday night and the request to the Government by the Covid-19 Scientific Council to strictly limit meetings due to the resurgence of infections.
The spread of Omicron in France is going at “lightning” speed
On Friday, December 17, French Prime Minister Jean Castex held a health defense council at the Hôtel de Matignon, in reaction to the epidemiological situation in France and the rapid advance of the omicron variant of Covid-19.
At the end of the meeting, Castex announced a series of measures and recommendations in the lead up to the year-end celebrations and invited the vaccinated and unvaccinated population to have PCR or antigen tests before meeting friends and family on Christmas. and New Year.
Thanks to the massive vaccination, thanks to notre mobilization collective, thanks to the senses of the responsibilities of chacune et chacun, nous avons progressé et appris à mieux vivre avec le virus.
Nous and arriverons, tous ensemble. pic.twitter.com/0qozXqWHpq– Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) December 17, 2021
The spread of the omicron variant in Europe has been at a “lightning” speed, according to the French prime minister and, “it will spread very quickly to the point of becoming dominant from the beginning of 2022”, as quoted by local media.
Castex invited the French to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays “responsibly” and added that large celebrations, fireworks, concerts and the consumption of alcohol on public roads will be prohibited on both dates.
The health pass could become a vaccination pass
Following the Prime Minister’s announcements, the Paris mayor’s office sent a message this Saturday, December 18 to the population through its website: “The city of Paris regrets canceling all the festivities planned for the Champs-Elysées on December 31, due to to the resurgence of the pandemic and the new government announcements made on Friday, December 17 “and added that” there will be no fireworks and DJs will unfortunately not be able to play this year. “
Also, the Scientific Council of Covid-19 asked the Government, through a statement, to limit large meetings due to the resurgence of coronavirus cases.
“The authorities must take significant restrictive measures on the occasion of New Year’s Eve (including, if necessary, the limitation of collective activities or curfews) with the possibility of a territorial decline,” the Council said in the document.
Thus, health measures continue to tighten in France, where hospitals have registered a high number of unvaccinated patients in intensive care. In addition, the Government intends to convert the health pass, -used to have access to public places-, into a vaccination pass, that is, people will have to be fully immunized against Covid-19 to access places of leisure, and not just have a negative PCR test. According to Jean Castex, the proposal will be presented as a bill on January 5 before the Council of Ministers.
With Reuters and local media
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