Some mayors in France have adopted municipal decrees allowing the opening of non-food shops within their municipalities. This is the case in the municipalities of Villeneuve-Loubet and Vence. The mayor of Perpignan has also signed the same decree.
The Prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, in a released statement, formally declares that “these decrees are illegal because they contravene the provisions of the decree of October 29, 2020, which precisely defines the types of businesses allowed to open during the lockdown period.”
As a result, he has asked the administrative court of Nice to annul the decree of the mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet.
The Prefecture specifies that “non-food shops that open in accordance with this decree therefore face fines and administrative closure measures. Furthermore, they would not be able to benefit from state aid implemented to compensate for the undeniable difficulties caused by these closures.”
The Prefect concludes his statement with a brief admonition: “The fight against COVID-19 involves difficult sacrifices for all of us. It is necessary, to avoid even more restrictive measures, that we face it together.”
