Grand day for the French: Cafe and bistro terraces reopen

Some French cafe and restaurant owners have spent days preparing for Wednesday’s milestone, even though rain is forecast for large swaths of the country, including Paris.

Still, the government has put limits on how much fun can be had. Restaurants are can fill only 50% of their outdoor seating areas and put no more than six people at a table. Movie theaters can only seat 35% of capacity, while museums must restrict entries so there is 8 square meters of space (86 square feet) per visitor.

Starting June 9, the French government plans to extend the curfew until 11 p.m. and to permit indoor dining at restaurants and bistros starting. The final phase of the three-stage reopening plan is scheduled for June 30, when the curfew will end and all other restrictions will be lifted, if pandemic conditions allow.

France has recorded more than 108,000 deaths due to COVID-19, among the highest tolls in Europe. But deaths, admissions to critical care units and the coronavirus infection rate are now on the decline.

“What counts is the dynamic,” Health Minister Olivier Veran told BFMTV. Vaccinations “have changed the givens.”

About 40% of France’s adult population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Rain or shine, restrictions or not, a good number of people are expected to take advantage of their new freedom on Wednesday.