MISUNDERSTANDING AFTER THE CLOSURE OF NIGHTCLUBES O 01/13/2022 A curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. (now from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.) accompanied by a ban on dancing. Needless to say, the two discotheques of Saint-Barth, the Casa and the Modjo, had little chance of escaping a temporary closure. This prefectural decision, intended to “slow down” the progression of the number of Covid-19 but also and above all to “avoid a deep economic disturbance”, according to the prefect Serge Gouteyron, is obviously not appreciated by the establishments concerned. Impossible to fight against private parties Owner of the Modjo, Franck Philips does not hide his incomprehension vis-à-vis the new prefectural decree. He wonders: “Is it really going to be effective to close only the clubs? The clientele of the night is 500 people to break everything and almost only young people from the island. And most have already had the Covid! “In addition, this closure comes at the worst time for his establishment which, he assures him, crossed the Festive with a soul in pain. “From December 20 to 29 we completely missed out on the Festive with figures that I'm ashamed to talk about,” says Franck Philips. There were only private parties, events of all kinds like the Unicef evening or on the beaches with authorization to open at night until no time, all that with big DJs at more than 400 kE in the evening, the yachts made available for private parties. In short, it is impossible to compete with the Abramovichs and Elon Musks, the Christmas market and the free evenings on the quays or in the villas! We started working on 31 because we were the only ones who could open until 5 am. With drastic conditions. “The closing of nightclubs, Franck Philips sees it as an injustice. “We see ourselves closed once again for reasons that seem to me inconsistent with the fact that we have had no cases in the hospital or medical evacuation for more than 3 months, he comments. The first ones we hit are the clubs! At the best time for us to succeed in starting to make numbers. For the boss, alternatives to a closure exist in the current context. “It would have been wiser to let the night professionals do the tests by postponing the tests at the entrance, as for the planes, he suggests. But no, we choose the easy way out to prove to the metropolitan authorities that the work has been done. Without really knowing the situation on the ground. As usual, we pay full price. "
“The prefect must review his copy” For Franck Philips, it is essential that the prefect “review his copy” and allow the reopening of night establishments “with all the precautions and protocols in force”. He says: “The clubs are not responsible for the overflows of this end of the year, quite the contrary. “In addition, he recalls that for a period of fifteen days, the establishment of partial unemployment is almost inapplicable. “So I'm going to pay my employees to be able to keep them,” he says. Not to mention the housing that we must continue to pay for, even if we are closed,” For the time being, the prefectural decree which establishes the curfew and the other restrictive measures must end on January 24. But nothing indicates that an extension will not be decided by the prefect. “Mid-night” establishments also affected The prefectural decree also concerns all establishments in Saint-Barth, the closing of which is usually fixed at two o'clock in the morning. However, since the reception of customers is much earlier, at the very beginning of the evening or even at the end of the afternoon, the consequences of the entry into force of the curfew are not the same as for discotheques. However, the ban on dancing turns out to be a major inconvenience. Particularly for places known for their festive after-dinner atmosphere (Le Bagatelle and La Petite Plage, for example). The Ti St Barth is also continuing its season, maintaining the catering activity and its show. On the other hand, here again, the absence of a dance floor constitutes a real loss of attractiveness. However, with the passage of the curfew at 11 p.m. since yesterday evening (Wednesday, January 12), the situation is still evolving and restaurateurs, like other establishments, will suffer a new setback.