cascading cancellations in Nord and Pas-de-Calais
Meal or Christmas market, greeting ceremonies, balls … several communities, associations or even companies are giving up the end-of-year festivities because of the health context.
Usually conducive to festive gatherings and hugs, the Christmas period is shaken by the hardening of the epidemic wave. If the government has not decided to impose cancellations on communities to contain Covid-19 contamination, some municipalities, associations or even companies have chosen to be cautious. Non-exhaustive overview of canceled or postponed events in Nord and Pas-de-Calais.
In Lille, the municipality drew up a whole list of events to be banned in the coming weeks on Tuesday. Those “of the type snack or show on the occasion of Christmas and the end of year celebrations, planned inside the school grounds, and involving parents, cannot take place”, let us quote in particular the city. Just as “the events organized within the school must comply with the protocol set up by the National Education, in particular the principle of ‘bubbles’, which makes it possible to avoid contact between different classes”.
Encouragement to cancel events in closed premises
All of the gala dinners scheduled on municipal premises must also be canceled, the city ordered. As well as the snacks planned in the senior areas and the greetings to personalities, municipal staff or in the neighborhoods.
More broadly, “the City of Lille strongly recommends that associations, social centers and other organizations limit, or even cancel, events taking place in closed premises and / or involving a large number of people”.
“We kinda expected it”
The organizers of the white horse ball, which was to bring together 2,000 people on December 17, took the initiative, even if this second cancellation following a heartbreak for them.
“We are very sad but we expected it a little, recognizes Monique Leroux, the famous mascot of the event, at the microphone of BFM Grand Lille. It’s been a fortnight that we discussed a little every day. as we saw the contaminations which progress every day, we said to ourselves: ‘It is useless to do it’. “
Claude Vadasz, organizer of the ball, agrees: “Nothing obliges us to do so but if he ever prepare something, we would be incriminated, which is normal. We do not want to create a cluster. The white horse ball, it’s still the most convivial place, where everyone embraces. If there is contamination in our area, it can happen very quickly “.
The Dunkirk carnival threatened?
Cancellations are also rife outside the metropolis of Lille. In Calaisis, in Offekerque, the Christmas market and the children’s show, scheduled for the weekend of November 27, have been canceled. In the town of Coquelle, it was the tasting of the grilled pork and the dancing meal that ultimately did not take place. The alumni dinner, scheduled for December 8, and the belote competition on December 10, will suffer the same fate.
In Dunkirk, the prefecture has decided that the Christmas holiday rides fair will not take place this year, to the chagrin of the fairgrounds. It was to be held from December 19 to January 10.
The threat also hangs over the Dunkirk carnival, whose kickoff is still set for January 16. The mayor of Cappelle-la-Grande was to announce the festivities in the program at the end of November. He finally decided to play for time.
Chain cancellations for end-of-year meals
The events most subject to cancellation remain the end-of-year meals for seniors. From Marœuil to Aubigny-en-Artois, via Habarcq or even Dainville, they are linked.
Ditto in Aulnoy-lez-Valenciennes, where L’Entente sportive aulnésienne, a club that brings together football, pétanque and even volleyball, has decided to cancel its New Year’s Eve. The vows ceremony of January 21 is for the time being maintained.
In Arras, the meal remains relevant but it will be subject to the health pass, while the Red Cross provides self-tests, health kits and takes temperature.
Some elected officials are waiting for instructions
Several mayors have not yet spoken on the cancellation or not of the end-of-year festivities in their municipality. Some, like Joffrey Zbierski, mayor of Provin, are asking the authorities for instructions.
“I especially called the Prefect so as to have a rapid circular, which gives us clear, neat, precise and uniform directives for the mayors of the good behavior to be held for the events of December and for the ceremonies of the month of January “, indicated on BFM Lille the one who is also president of the Association of the mayors of the North.
According to the prefecture, this document should be sent within the next few days.