PARIS, Nov. 15 – Galleries Lafayette and Printemp witnessed the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown in Paris outside department stores’ leading branches on Saturday.
Usually on a busy weekend of Christmas shopping, there were only a handful of people at the Boulevard House where the stores are located.
“It simply came to our notice then. We are outside the Galleries Lafayette, and everything is closed, ”said one Emmanuel Tiger. “They (shop window) installed lights. That’s good, but we do not feel the Christmas spirit. ”
Under the lockdown, effective from the end of October in the capital and other major cities, people will be able to stay indoors without having to buy food or other essentials or travel for a few hours of exercise.
France has the seventh highest toll plague in the world, with about 44,000 deaths, and the government has said the lockdown could be extended beyond December 1 if the infection rate does not decrease.
“Our fight against the epidemic involves all of us and the next few days will be crucial,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter yesterday.
Some on the boulevard expressed hope that the process would be simplified by Christmas.
“I think they’ll open in a week or two … then we’ll do some Christmas shopping,” said Lenin. – Reuters
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