Please note, this Biarrot does not wander, is not in a sitting position and this is not really a bench (probably a space that can be assimilated anyway). – Bob Edme / AP / SIPA
The text had gone unnoticed. This Monday in a published newsletter on his website,
the city of Biarritz recalled that it had decided to “complete the national system” of the measures to combat
the Covid-19 epidemic by this municipal decree, dated March 20. In particular, the mention
“Unable to stroll”.
For more than two weeks now, “sitting for more than two minutes on a bench or similar space” has been prohibited. This municipal decree had “no other purpose than reminding Biarrots, to avoid their verbalization, of the impossibility of strolling on the benches which does not constitute physical activity,” said on Twitter the town hall, responding to some astonished or acerbic reactions. And to add that this decree was, in reality, “less severe than national measures”.
“We did it wrong”
Finally, facing retribution, the mayor of Biarritz announced this Tuesday afternoon, cancel this recent decree. “We did it wrong, I canceled this part of the order on the benches, it is settled,” said Michel Veunac (MoDem). Consenting a “clumsiness” in this figure of “two minutes of sitting”, the mayor recalled that “the intention was not precisely that of a total restriction”.
“In Biarritz, we have a lot of benches facing the coast, said Michel Veunac, As we had noticed that people were settling there to read a book or watch the ocean, we took this municipal decree in addition to the national measures ” However, the municipality wanted to give the possibility to the elderly, athletes, or those who wore their shopping, “a short respite by taking a break of two minutes on these benches,” he added.
“Two lines on a letter with five pages of measurements”
In Biarritz, all parks, gardens, playgrounds, sports facilities, outdoor establishments are closed and access to the beaches has been prohibited since March 20. Surf, like any nautical activity, is therefore prohibited.
As for the text “on the benches”, it did not apply to certain “particular circumstances”, such as “waiting for the bus or medical services”, nor to persons who must sit down for “reasons of health ”. But “this two-line sentence on a letter that has five pages of measures” having drawn harsh comments, the mayor simply “canceled this order”
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