Nightclub Reopenings... France Faces Surge in COVID-19 Cases

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Nightclubs in France, reopened after 1 year and 4 months, are emerging as hotspots for the spread of COVID-19.

On the 24th (local time), according to local media reports including daily Le Figaro and Le Parisien, four nightclubs located in Lille in northern France, Vosges and Doubs in the east, and Bordeaux in the west have become problematic.

At a nightclub in Lille, which borders Belgium, 78 visitors tested positive for COVID-19 on the 14th of this month.

At a nightclub in Vosges, at least 44 people tested positive for COVID-19 on the 13th, 16th, and 17th, and the number of people who had contact with them reached 1,000.

A nightclub in Doubs also closed after 85 visitors tested positive for COVID-19 on the 13th, 16th, and 17th.

At a nightclub in Bordeaux, 71 people were confirmed positive for COVID-19 in mid-month, leading to criticism that quarantine rules were not being followed.

An anonymous nightclub employee interviewed by BFM broadcast said, "Even if several people test positive for COVID-19, they do not want to close the club and do not inform the outside," adding, "For the owner, money comes first, so they accept customers until the club is full."

Nightclubs in France closed in March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic but were allowed to reopen in July 2021 on the condition of verifying health certificates.

Despite checking health certificates, the fact that many COVID-19 cases emerged in nightclubs has led to calls for tightening control measures again.

Adding to the burden is the fact that the highly transmissible Delta variant has become the dominant strain in France.

Jean-Fran?ois Delfraissy, a scientific advisory committee member advising the government on COVID-19 policy, pointed out, "Opening nightclubs in an era of epidemic spread is inevitably risky."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.