opening of certain businesses on Sunday possible throughout Paris

The opening of businesses in certain sectors of activity on Sundays during the Olympic Games (26 July – 11 August) will finally be possible throughout Paris, the regional prefecture (Prif) announced on Tuesday, which had initially excluded five districts from this exemption. Prefect Marc Guillaume decided “to extend the scope of application of exemptions from Sunday rest to the whole of Paris”and for the period 15 June to 30 September, explains PRIF in a press release.

He made this decision afterwards “Several authorities, in particular the city of Paris and the district mayors, have expressed the wish that all the Parisian districts should be covered for the seven selected activity sectors”. In December 2023, Prif announced that only the 15 districts “most likely to receive a large influx of tourists”namely those in the center, who have a competition venue, welcome the public or athletes, will benefit from the measure, taken in anticipation “exceptionally crowded” in the capital.

“Public needs”

Businesses in the 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 20th arrondissements were then excluded. Although he reintroduced them, the regional prefect did not change the eligible sectors of activity, “best able to meet the needs of the public during the Games”, he reasoned in December. These are food shops, sports and leisure shops, multi-stores, bicycle-motorcycle shops, department stores, clothing/confectionery shops and bookshops and stationery shops. Only for now “The first four requests were made” of traders in these sectors, indicates Prif, who validated them. The decision to open on Sundays “belongs to each affected trader and is based on the voluntary participation of employees”remember the regional prefecture.