PARISIANS REDISCOVER THE TASTE OF FREEDOM

Paris gleefully tucked into a movable feast Tuesday as cafés, bars and restaurants around France finally reopened — albeit with strict social distancing rules — after 10 weeks of solitary confinement. President Emmanuel Macron hailed “the return to happy days” as eating and drinking outlets opened partially in the capital and fully in the rest of the country, though with at least one metre between tables, and no standing at bars for drinks.

With interiors in Paris still out of bounds due to contagion fears, all the action was on the outdoor terraces that spilt on to pavements as phase two of lockdown exit kicked in. In one sure omen that the gods were smiling on the City of Lights, the rebirth of café culture fell on the hottest day of the year.