Paris nightclubs open for 1st time in 16 months

Paris: Music is pulsing from Paris nightclubs for the first time in 16 months as other European countries shut night life down again because of rising coronavirus cases.

The reopening of Paris dance clubs Friday night was the final step in France's process of lifting pandemic restrictions. The move was meant to mark victory over the virus, since night clubs were among the few venues that had remained closed since March 2020.

But the delta variant is spreading faster than vaccinations in France, and infections are rising again after weeks of decline. President Emmanuel Macron is expected to speak to the nation Monday about the situation, and the government could opt for new restrictions.

At the popular La Bellevilloise club in eastern Paris, many people were eager to return to the dance floor anyway. Parisian Laurent Queige called it "a liberation, an immense happiness to rediscover the clubbing, the party, friends." La Bellevilloise owner Renaud Barillet said this weekend could serve as a useful test, "to see how the public, the organizers, all that reacts and manages to adopt new habits." Attendees must produce a QR code that shows proof of full vaccination or a fresh negative COVID-19 test, and capacity is restricted to 75 per cent.