'We don't wear a mask': Details from secret dinner parties in Paris amid Covid

Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said Sunday that a criminal probe had been opened into putting the lives of others at risk.

At a time when a resurgent coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is wreaking havoc across the world, an undercover report has shown "clandestine" luxury dinners in Paris where guests are seen defying Covid norms.

People wait before being vaccinated against Covid-19 at the Stade de France stadium, outside Paris on Tuesday. (AP Photo)

The report was aired by M6 channel on Friday. It was based on a footage recorded with a hidden camera purportedly from a restaurant in a high-end area of Paris.

All restaurants and cafes have been closed in France for eating in for the last five months. The French government has launched a probe after airing of the video.

Here's what some of the guests were heard speaking in the video aired by the channel:

• "We don't wear a mask here. Once you pass through the doors, Covid no longer exists. We want people to feel at ease," a staff member told the undercover team of the channel, as reported by news agency AFP.
• An unidentified man said that he had eaten in two or three clandestine restaurants “with a certain number of ministers”.
• Parts of footage also showed some of the guests kissing each other cheek to cheek.
• The hashtag #OnVeutLesNoms (We Want the Names) went viral on Twitter after the news channel aired the report, as speculation swirled over who may have attended such dinners.
• The report showed staff at the venue proposing an evening menu from 160 euros ($189) per head but said that the most expensive option went for 490 euros ($578), including a bottle of champagne.
• Removing the face mask was not just possible but obligatory, it said.