Lifting Restrictions In The French Riviera

As years go, this is certainly a different one. With the Coronavirus pandemic all over media coverage it can make for confusing times on what safe steps to proceed with in daily life.

And usually at this time of year in France, the French Riviera is buzzing with anticipation for what would be the upcoming Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix this month that would bring together an international list of people from around the world.

Fortunately though as the weeks have gone by, people here in France for the most part seem to have been abiding by the restrictions (hefty fines help) meaning our Covid-19 numbers so far keep going down.

So much so that last month President Macron announced that as of May 11th our restrictions in the country will slowly be lifted as long as the virus numbers stay manageable and consistently decrease so that we do not have a second wave.

Since March 16th everyone has had to stay within the 1 km radius of their homes unless they are an essential worker or its an emergency type situation.

Starting Monday, May 11th we will now be able to travel up to 100 km radius of our home with the only option to move further if you have an emergency or special permission with your attestation forms.

The 100 km distance alone seems to have made people feel more relieved. And with the borders still being closed for some time yet it sounds like everyone here will just be making the most of it as things progress hopefully for the better.

In the meanwhile in the French Riviera, local mayors have been either adding to their local restrictions or lifting even more with permission from the Government of France.

At this moment when you go outside you can see small businesses preparing to open for tomorrow with city workers busy maintaining the parks and beaches for when the public are allowed to use them again in the following days.

This is great news as with the beautiful sunny weather here in the French Riviera, not having access to those public areas, especially the beaches seemed unfathomable.

Public transit will still not be available to the full extent it previously was but train and buses will be running but only allowing a certain amount of people at a time with social distancing at stations, on platforms and within transit itself. Plus you must always wear a mask when traveling or you can get a fine or not be allowed to travel.

For now bars, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs will still be closed until June 5th and that can change by week depending on the virus situation and even then the type of service might be different meaning a limited amount of people and more social distancing.

As it also will stand starting May 11th, the current number of social groups can only be up to 10 people with distancing in affect.

You can tell those of us in the LGBTQ community are very much looking forward to full on social events again like at the bars, private dinner parties and nightclubs.

Owners of local gay establishments have been watching the government news closely and keeping people up to date with information on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram with any fresh news they may get with many keeping a positive outlook to it all.

The feeling right now is as long as things keep safe and relatively normal, these establishments may open again by July. Fingers crossed.

 There has been a good patriotic spirit to this whole virus situation with many offering more support online and an overall optimistic viewpoint while restrictions gradually get lifted.

When the final news comes in that the border are open to visitors from around the world again, you can be certain everyone here will be letting the world know.

Stay strong, stay safe.