Cafe society returns to Europe – where 2 metres isn’t the rule
WHILE Britain’s restaurants, bars and coffee shops remain closed and their staff furloughed, cafe culture is returning to mainland Europe.
In France, where people are told to keep one metre apart, President Emmanuel Macron has hailed ‘the return to happy days’ as eating and drinking outlets opened partially in Paris and fully in the rest of the country. Some 300,000 cafes, bars and restaurants have reopened.
Drinking or dining inside is still prohibited in the French capital, but outdoor terraces have spilled on to pavements to accommodate friends and relatives desperate to meet up for a café crème or glass of kir royale.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has extended the country’s 1.5 metre distancing rule until June 29 but shops of all sizes have been allowed to open.
In Italy, where more than 34,000 people have died of Covid-19, bars and restaurants reopened on May 18, albeit with reduced numbers of diners, tables further apart and plastic shields to separate customers. Like in Germany, Australia, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, the social distance rule in Italy is 1.5 metres.
Cafes and restaurants also reopened on May 18 in Denmark, one of the first European countries to announce a lockdown.
By contrast, Britain’s pubs, bars and restaurants can open ‘no earlier than July 4’ – and only then if Covid-19 safety guidelines are met.
Some coffee shops have partially reopened for takeaway service but the two-metre rule means very few customers are allowed inside at any one time, causing long queues. Similarly, huge queues formed when McDonald’s last month reopened 33 of its drive-through sites.