PHOTOS: What virus? Parisians pack cafes as city gets its magic back

By HT Correspondent

Updated On Jun 16, 2020 11:45 am IST

Paris is rediscovering its joie de vivre, as cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading coronavirus forced them to close their doors on March 14. Many customers seemed to shrug off masks and social distancing as they streamed back to their neighbourhood bistros for a morning espresso or a three-course lunch Monday, free to resume their lifestyles by a surprise announcement from the French president himself. “We will rediscover ... the art of living, our taste for freedom,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address to the nation Sunday night, citing progress in fighting the virus. “We will rediscover France.”

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A waiter, center, clears a table in a restaurant with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

Updated on Jun 16, 2020 11:45 am IST

A waiter, center, clears a table in a restaurant with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

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People sit on a cafe on the Seine river bank, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

Updated on Jun 16, 2020 11:45 am IST

People sit on a cafe on the Seine river bank, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

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A waiter brings beers to customers in a bar on the Seine river bank, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

Updated on Jun 16, 2020 11:45 am IST

A waiter brings beers to customers in a bar on the Seine river bank, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

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A man drinks a beer in the bar Le Marche, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

Updated on Jun 16, 2020 11:45 am IST

A man drinks a beer in the bar Le Marche, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

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Customers queue outside a restaurant, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

Updated on Jun 16, 2020 11:45 am IST

Customers queue outside a restaurant, Monday, June 15, 2020 in Paris. Paris is rediscovering itself, as its cafes and restaurants reopen for the first time since the fast-spreading virus forced them to close their doors March 14. Restaurants outside the Paris region opened earlier this month, and Paris cafes were allowed to serve people outside but not open their doors. After three months of losses, some restaurateurs fear it will take a long time for business to come back. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) (AP)

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