Injecting 19 million people with a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in the coming weeks: this is the government’s goal to fight against the fifth wave of the pandemic. Guest of franceinfo, Gontran Thüring, general delegate of the National Council of shopping centers, announces that they are ready to massively welcome places of vaccination.
The leader responds to the call of the Minister of Health, Olivier Veran, who wants to increase the number of places of this type: “Since the start of the crisis, shopping centers have hosted hundreds of screening and vaccination platforms. Today, all of our members are ready, in collaboration with regional health agencies, to welcome these platforms again.“, explains Grontran Thüring.
“There are about 830 shopping centers in France. They are all able to make space available.”
Gontran Thüring, General Delegate of the National Council of Shopping Centerson franceinfo
The government calls for strengthening of health measures but “no new binding measures for shopping centers“, pleads Gontran Thüring, according to whom the centers”have always respected barrier measures, such as wearing a mask or providing hydroalcoholic gel (…) Our compatriots can come safely to shopping centers “, he assures.
This new epidemic wave comes at an important time for merchants: the Black Friday promotions and the end of year holidays. Gontran Thüring notes that, for the moment, “the customers are there“and have largely returned, even if attendance is far from what it used to be.”We are still at -25% or -30% compared to 2019, which was a very good year “, he emphasizes.
The representative of the sector further notes that teleworking “favored local places, small shopping centers“. On the other hand, the”large shopping centers, close to major service areas, have suffered more from this development of teleworking“.