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Health Minister Olivier V茅ran announced last night (September 23) that new regulations to stop the spread of Covid-19 would be introduced in France. These include completely closing bars and restaurants in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, the two largest cities in the Bouches-du-Rh么ne department.

Local officials 鈥榮hocked鈥� by decision

However local officials have responded with anger to the decision, saying it has been imposed on them from central government.

Mayor of Marseille Mich猫le Rubirola after the health minister鈥檚 speech last night: 鈥淚 am surprised and angry to learn about this decision, on which the Mairie of Marseille was not consulted. Nothing in the current health situation justifies this response. I cannot accept that people from Marseille will be victims of political decisions that no one understands.鈥�

Renaud Muselier, president of the Provence-Alpes-C么te d鈥橝zur region, disputed the health minister鈥檚 claim that they had discussed the new regulations on Wednesday afternoon. He that the health minister had given him a 鈥渉asty鈥� telephone call at 鈥渁t 18:30 before a giving a speech at 19:00. This decision is unilateral, poorly adapted and unfair!鈥�

In an earlier statement posted online, he wrote that the new measures amounted to a 鈥渜uasi-confinement鈥� and a 鈥渃ollective punishment that is extremely hard on our local economy鈥�.

He wrote that high transmission rates in Marseille had reached a 鈥減lateau鈥� after local government introduced its own measures nine days previously. Since then, the local rate of incidence has fallen from 228 to 193 per 100,000 inhabitants. The rate of positivity has also gone down from 8.7% to 8.2%.

Ben么it Payan, currently acting mayor of Marseille while Ms Rubirola is on medical leave, also tweeted a graph illustrating a decline in Covid-19 cases from September 9-22. He wrote the new measures were 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� and 鈥渟eemed more like a political decision than credible, serious health management鈥�.

Bar and restaurant owners 鈥榮tigmatised鈥� by measures throughout France

The health minister announced last night that, in addition to closing bars and restaurants completely in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, bars in many other departments and cities including Paris would have to close at 22:00 as a health measure.

Bernard Marty, president of bar and restaurant union for the Bouches-de-Rh么ne department, l'Union des m茅tiers et des industries de l'h么tellerie (UMIH), told news source : 鈥淲e are really, really angry because the least they could have done was to warn us in advance.鈥�

He described the health minister as: 鈥淎 politician who announced on television that [bars and restaurants] are not going to be able to exist anymore, because that鈥檚 exactly what will happen. It鈥檚 a disaster! It鈥檚 shameful to stigmatise Marseille like they are.鈥�

Philippe Etchebest, a Michelin-starred chef who lives in Bordeaux, said the government was 鈥渟tigmatising鈥� the restaurant professions in general. He said of the 22:00 rule: 鈥淧eople will still get together in their own homes鈥� I don鈥檛 understand it.鈥�

New map of Covid-19 alert level in French departments

The Bouches-du-Rh么ne has been severely affected by the virus in recent weeks and is one of two zones in France currently on the new 鈥渕aximum alert鈥� level introduced by the health minister last night.

Public service media body has published an interactive map, detailing the level of alert in each department in France.

Along with 鈥渕aximum alert鈥� (in dark red on the map below), the new scale also includes 鈥渉eightened alert鈥� in red, 鈥渁lert鈥� in pink and 鈥渦nder vigilance鈥� marked in grey.

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