Restaurant owners protest Paris virus restrictions

Thousands of restaurant and hotel owners, wedding planners, event organizers took to the streets of Paris on Monday, desperate to get the government's attention onto their issues.

With nearly all public events canceled, Jeanne Dumont, owner of a design company, has been struggling to sleep at night.

She said she is losing five years of work and it might take several years to get her business back on track.

The announcement last week that the very popular Paris Air Show, due to take place next June, was canceled left many in the industry stunned.

Protesters denounced the lack of financial support from the French government.

Only some have received financial aid, but the second lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus has hit them harder.

Alexandre Fraigne, the owner of a traditional restaurant outside Libourne, said he sees his bank account going down.

Laurent Duc, president of the hotel branch of the UMIH hotel industry union, said the government mismanagement could kill some hotel owners he represents.

He said the government hasn't reduced bills such as the TV license.

''It's a scandal,'' Duc said.

The offer some insurance companies made to provide psychological support to their clients had him boil over with rage.

'They might as well buy coffins straight away. I'm telling you, frankly, some business owners are going to commit suicide and we'll add them to the deaths caused by COVID,Duc shouted.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday he had no certitude as to when bars and restaurants might reopen.

(IMAGE CREDITS:AP)