PARIS, France (CNN) – Many French employees can now eat their food in their offices without breaking the law, as the country has suspended a long-standing ban on eating lunch in the office, with the aim of curbing the spread of the Coronavirus, according to a government decree published on Sunday.
The lunch break, or “la pause déjeuner” in French, has always been considered a sacred experience in France. Until now, French labor law prohibits employers from allowing employees to “eat their meals at the workplace”, reflecting the importance of meals in the national culture.
Before the pandemic, French employees enjoyed daily during their lunch break a two-course or even three-course meal with colleagues in a restaurant or small cafe close to their workplace.
French media has tried to visualize what the future will look like by showing pictures of unhappy employees eating sandwiches on their desks.
The temporary rule applies to offices with more than 50 employees, and where the design of the cafeteria in the workplace does not allow for social distancing. And people should be at least one meter away when not wearing a face mask.
France has imposed a large number of containment measures at a time when it is fighting the epidemic, as it imposed the closure of bars and cafes nationwide since the end of October, while the curfew that begins at six in the evening is still in effect.
So far, more than 2.2 million people in France have received the first injection of the vaccine, while about 650,000 people have received the vaccine completely.
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