Sweeping a look decided the space of his small restaurant on the heights of Algiers, algeria, Hiba ordered his two employees : “Friday, operation disinfection ! “The quarantine, the manager of this restaurant’s specialties algerian said to be “relieved” by the government’s announcement to re-open the restaurants on Saturday, but “this will not offset the losses suffered during these last few months,” she said. It does not yet have the exact figure of the damage, but she can hardly continue to pay the salaries of his two employees, his bills, and the amount of rent that will not wait. The government has launched projects for the estimation of losses in the economic sector, but Hiba knows beforehand that the blow is very hard and that the use of deliveries of dishes during these past few weeks could not fill its glaring deficit.
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“It’s bleeding”
deliveries, shy in Algiers a few months ago, have exploded in the semi-confinement since march last year, installing new habits of consumption. “We have not received a signal from the authorities to know how we will be compensated, we navigate to a view, I think what will separate me from at least one of my workers, this is terrible “, breath-t-it, lined up some chairs and tables. “We had political instability for several months and the expats who are our main clientele are gone since last year. It was already in the red in 2019, then, with this pandemic, it is the bleeding, ” said Rashid, owner of a gourmet restaurant in the city centre of Algiers.
The 10th of August last, the wilaya (department) of Algiers had authorized the resumption of activities of hotels, restaurants and cafeterias (closed since 21 march) from August 15, with the obligation to comply with the health protocol of prevention and protection, including the use of terraces in the first place and the use of a table on two inside, respect gestures such barriers, regular disinfection of sites and equipment as well as towels and uniforms, the provision to clients of hydroalcoholic gel with prohibition of use of air conditioners or fans.
” The shops not complying with these measures are subject to immediate closure, recalled the services of the wilaya of Algiers “, warned the local authorities while stating, ” the organization of wedding parties and other at the level of the festival halls, hotels and restaurants is prohibited until the appropriate conditions are met “.
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4 000 mosques will re-open on 18 000
” We’ll be very careful, the one who poses a risk of contamination to others is committing a sin. “The imam of this mosque, one of the 429 places of worship of the wilaya of Algiers allowed to reopen from Saturday, wants to be reassuring by observing elements of the civil protection disinfect the mosque and showing the marks on the ground to ensure the distancing of the faithful during the prayer.
The authorities have authorized the return to prayer only in the mosques with a capacity of more than 1 000 seats (4 000 of the 18 000 that account Algeria), imposing a series of measures, including the continued prohibition of access to women, children under 15 years of age and vulnerable persons ; the maintenance of the closure of the koranic schools and rooms for ablution ; the mandatory wearing of the mask ; the use of prayer mats staff ; the respect of the distance physical between the followers of at least a meter and a half ; the prohibition of the use of air conditioners and fans ; the prohibition of religious libraries in mosques…
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Despite the precautions, caution is the order of
” We’ve done a lot of outreach to the faithful of the neighbourhood, because some measures are difficult to apply. For example, the religion imposes to tighten the ranks during the prayer. However, it is impossible having regard to the obligation of alienation, but religion allows a lot of exemptions when it comes to protecting human life and our faithful show themselves to be very understanding. Some of them have even volunteered to organize the flows of entry and exit of the mosque “, explains the imam. The great prayer of Friday, remains proscribed, and the prayer will begin ten minutes after the call of the muezzin and end ten minutes after.
“I am very attached to the prayer in the mosque and it is a true blessing that we can reopen some, but seen as I live with my parents who are older, I would be afraid of running the risk of contaminating them by going to the mosque,” said Hafid, a driver in a company. “I don’t expect to much of the world, recognizes our imam. Despite the precautions, people, particularly the older ones, will be afraid of going to the mosque, but it doesn’t matter. The essential is to do his prayer sincerely to God, in the home or elsewhere. “
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beaches are under surveillance
The sides of the restaurants, mosques and parks, access to beaches will also be permitted from the 15th of August. In the wilaya of Algiers, 55 beaches are affected by these measures, with, again, a battery of obligations such as the wearing of masks, respect of the distancing physical at least a meter and a half, the display of measures, barriers and prevention to the various access points of the premises, the organisation of places for the parking of vehicles, the prior control by the elements of the protection of civil, if necessary, the temperature of the summer visitors, and the provision of bins dedicated to collecting masks, gloves or handkerchiefs used.
“At least, I’m going to stop playing cat and mouse with the police,” said Yassin, a father of two children who rented a bungalow feet in the water to the east of Algiers. “I couldn’t deprive the children of the sea narguait to a few tens of meters ! So we went there and I was the lookout… But the gendarmes do we bothered not, they were chasing instead of the summer visitors settled squarely with tables and umbrellas, we did dip quickly and we returned, ” says Yassine on the phone.
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The coastal areas tested
The prohibition of the beaches, it must be said, has not been very respected, having regard to the suffocating heat that came down on the algerian end-July-beginning of August : many took advantage of the discreet rocky inlets to the east and to the west of Algiers, to escape the heat wave suffocating. “The return to normal, even partially, will relieve a bit of our coastal municipalities, says the mayor of a small town to the west of Algiers. Our hotels and campsites as well as holiday rentals of individuals have suffered very large losses. It is valued in the billions of cents. “
But some were able to take advantage of the situation, especially as the swimming pools and other swimming pools, including inside the hotels remain closed. Ads proliferate on the Internet from owners of villas that rent by the day, or more, their own private pools !
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the warning of The authorities
This semi-back to normal is while the contamination remains below 500 cases per day. Eleven new deaths were recorded between August 11 and August 12, bringing it to 1 333 in the number of deaths caused by the Covid-19 since the beginning of the health crisis. The Health minister, Abderrahmane Benbouzid, has warned that” in the case of non-compliance with strict hygiene rules, as well as a lack of collective consciousness, the return of the containment will be highly likely, and the closure of spaces [mosques and beaches] will be done immediately “.
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