As expected, it is now confirmed: the closure of nightclubs is extended.
On Wednesday morning, the Deputy Minister in charge of Tourism and SMEs, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, announced on France Inter that nightclubs would be closed for an additional three weeks starting January 3rd.
The establishments have been closed since December 10th and were supposed to reopen on January 6, 2022. However, hopes had already faded last Monday following announcements by Jean Castex. He had indeed declared that standing consumption in bars and restaurants would be prohibited from January 3, 2022.
This closure affects 1600 establishments in France. “I imagine the moral distress that can exist for these employees, entrepreneurs. It is a world that wants to give happiness, a world of celebration that, itself, is not celebrating,” stated Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.
.@JBLemoyne: “The closure of nightclubs will be extended for three weeks on January 3rd” #le69Inter pic.twitter.com/QJxDBTCzpk
— France Inter (@franceinter) December 29, 2021
Planned financial assistance
As a reminder, nightclubs, which represent 30,000 direct jobs according to professional unions, had to close their doors for 16 months due to the health crisis. They only reopened on July 9th, just to close again on December 10th.
“It emerges from my consultations yesterday that the month of December, representing 20% of the annual turnover, these compensations should be supplemented. This is what we are working on,” the minister reassured.
