Performance venues will be able to reopen in Belgium after the court overturned the government’s decision to close them on Tuesday. In France, the capacity of theaters has been considerably restricted because of the Omicron variant, but a number of well-known artists have risen up on social networks. This is not the case in Quebec, where most cultural spaces today accept without flinching the health instructions that forced them to cease their activities last week.
Is there a Quebec cultural exception there? Perhaps, but the director general of the Conseil québécois du théâtre, Catherine Voyer-Léger, could not answer it, she who little followed the protest movement in Belgium which preceded the decision of the court to cancel the closure of the theaters. show.
One thing is certain, it seems unlikely that Quebec will follow this path in the coming weeks. “Are we going to take legal action because the theaters are closed while the restaurants are open?” Maybe that will change, but it was never in the state of mind of the troops here ”, relates Mme Voyer-Léger.
A “state of mind” which was quite different in the flat country when the government decreed the closure of theaters and cinemas on December 22 in front of the arrival of the Omicron variant. A demonstration of 5,000 protesters in the streets of Brussels followed on Sunday. Deputies, many of whom belong to the member parties of the ruling coalition, even defended the measure in the Belgian Parliament. Owners of theaters and cinemas had even called for civil disobedience by remaining open, despite the ban.
In the process, a producer from the Brussels region had taken legal action in view of a series of shows which was to begin on Tuesday. The Council of State, the highest administrative tribunal in the country, finally ruled in his favor by suspending the closure of theaters, citing that the authorities had not been able to demonstrate that these places “would promote the spread of the coronavirus, to the point that it is necessary to order its closure ”.
The Belgian government cannot appeal and must apply the judgment now, the time to review its decision, which could take several months.
Few outbreaks in the wards
However, this turnaround does not arouse envy in theaters in Quebec. “I don’t see why we would go to court. I respect the decision, and we will follow it. I do not want to take the risk that there is an outbreak, ”says Michel Sabourin, owner of Club Soda and spokesperson for the Association of independent theaters of Quebec.
However, if it is true that the number of cases has exploded in recent weeks in Quebec because of the presence of the Omicron variant, theaters would have little to do with it. As of December 21, Montreal Public Health had some 347 active outbreaks, but only one of these was attributable to “art, culture or entertainment” activity.
“We have had cases among our employees and we don’t want to put them at risk. A performance hall is not like a restaurant. It’s difficult to prevent people from having contact, ”nuance Michel Sabourin, resigned to take his pain patiently by the end of the surge caused by the new variant.
Businessman Vincent Guzzo, owner of the cinemas of the same name, is one of the few in the industry to openly denounce the latest restrictions. He does not close the door, moreover, to turn to the courts, inspired by Belgium, where it is now expected that the court’s decision on theaters will soon be extended to cinemas as well.
“I do not understand why people who have been doubly vaccinated cannot go see a film even while being distanced, while nurses who have COVID will be able to continue working”, indignant Vincent Guzzo, throwing a tip at the Legault government , who announced Tuesday that healthcare workers who test positive for COVID-19 could still continue to work under certain conditions in order to deal with the labor shortage in the network.
Reviews in France
Quebec is today one of the only places in the world to have opted for the complete closure of movie theaters. France for its part announced Monday the imposition of a limit of 2,000 seats for major indoor events. Even if this measure is much less strict than what is in force in Quebec, several French artists are outraged, especially since political rallies are not affected by the new restriction in this presidential election year.
“I present myself as President of the Republic”, quipped rapper Eddy de Pretto on his account Twitter, a joke taken up by slammer Grand Corps Malade and singer Julien Doré, among others.
No such movement here, while the province smashes contamination records day after day.
“If society is in crisis, we are not going to claim something just for us. It is true that there have been no outbreaks in theaters so far, but there is such a level of contagion at the moment that there would probably be if we were open ”, reasoned Catherine Voyer-Léger.
The executive director of the Conseil québécois du théâtre also recognizes that the survival of theaters is not currently at stake, due to the available government aid.