A history-themed amusement park in western France was at the heart of controversy yet again over the weekend when organisers of a nightime show received permission to host 9,000 visitors despite restrictions on large gatherings amid a national spike in coronavirus cases, reports FRANCE 24.
Nearly 9,000 spectators gathered at the Puy du Fou historical theme park in the Vendée in western France for a “Cinéscénie” multimedia show despite a nationwide ban on gatherings exceeding 5,000 people due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Local officials authorised the mass gathering on Saturday, sparking allegations of favouritism since Philippe de Villiers, a far-right French politician who founded the Puy du Fou, is a friend of President Emmanuel Macron, according to French media reports.
Macron denied the allegations on Sunday, with the French presidential office telling the weekly Journal du Dimanche there was no “intervention” by the president to allow the theme park to host spectators above the 5,000 people threshold.
Saturday’s event came as France’s health ministry reported 3,310 new coronavirus infections, marking a post-lockdown high for the fourth consecutive day, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 215,521.
Last week, France extended a ban on gatherings over 5,000 people -- which was supposed to expire August 31 -- to October 30.
Park officials insisted Saturday’s event respected social distancing regulations. The authorisation was only “valid for August 15 … and only concerns the Cinéscénie”, Puy du Fou’s communications manager Sabine Tommy-Martin told AFP.