France, like most of Europe, saw an increase in coronavirus cases during the winter as new variants spread across the continent. Now it looks like the case numbers are stabilizing, thanks in part to an evening clock at 6pm, but it remains high. On Thursday, there were 21,213 new cases and 360 deaths. As of Friday morning, France had recorded nearly 81,000 deaths due to the virus.
But the numbers in cases did not stop the growing opposition to the restrictions on cultural life.
France’s bookstores led the charge, with a handful refusing to close when the closure was ordered in October. Florence Kammermann, the owner of the Autour d’un Livre store in Cannes, which remained open for several weeks despite the order, said in a telephone interview that the police had visited her business four times and issued a fine. But she did not regret her decision, she said.
She was completely opposed to the National Rally party and its policies, she added, but she supported Aliot in reopening museums. Many in France have complained that the country’s lock-in rules are illogical, she added, “but they do not have the courage to do so.”
French theaters also protested against their forced closure. In December, several venues symbolically reopened their doors to allow actors and fans into their entrance portals, but after the action, they closed again.
Jean-François Chougnet, the president of the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, in Marseille, said in a telephone interview that the French museum directors would gladly accept any conditions if they were allowed to reopen their doors. “Just tell us,” Chougnet said. “We’re open to anything.”
Roselyne Bachelot, the French Minister of Culture, held a Zoom call on Monday with the leaders of several museums, including the Louvre, to discuss how they can reopen safely. She told participants that museums would be the first cultural venues to reopen once the virus was under control, said Emma Lavigne, president of the Palais de Tokyo.