Hotel owners rally in Paris, demand State aid amid COVID-19 crisis
Oct 13, 2020
Paris [France], October 13 (ANI/Sputnik): Hotel owners have partially blocked traffic on the Ring Road in the French capital of Paris, demanding that authorities provide support packages to the crisis-hit industry after restrictive measures were intensified following a surge in COVID-19 infections, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Tuesday.
Paris city administration declared a maximum coronavirus alert last week and ordered closures of bars, swimming pools and gyms for 14 days to prevent further spread of the virus. Other health measures, such as the requirement to wear masks in shared spaces, and social distancing rules, were reintroduced in July.
In video footage provided by the correspondent, protesters can be seen holding posters with inscriptions like: "Aid to companies, partial unemployment to IDC [indeterminate employment contract], 'white year' [year free of income tax] for spectacles, and what about us???"
France has seen a resurgence in coronavirus cases, with the daily numbers steadily increasing since mid-summer. The most recent daily record high of 26,896 new infections was confirmed on October 10. To date, France has registered 776,097 COVID-19 cases with a death toll at 32,703. (ANI/Sputnik)
