Will the French be spending New Year’s Eve in slippers this year? That was the headline of the French daily Le Parisien, while the weekly magazine Le Point summed up the dilemma in three words: “Soirée ou canapé?” – an evening out or an evening on the sofa? It’s the question being asked in households across France ahead of New Year’s Eve, as cases of Covid-19 in the country soar to unprecedented levels, reports FRANCE 24.
Some are deciding to go ahead with celebrations despite the rising cases. Ramez Sabah, who lives in the western town of Angers with his family, always brings in the New Year in a small group of friends, and this year will be no exception.
“We can’t continue living like this and avoiding other people,” he told FRANCE 24. The couple are both fully vaccinated and see the Omicron variant as less harmful, so they are less concerned about catching the virus.
France’s public health authorities have said that Omicron causes fewer hospitalisations than the more dangerous variant Delta, but the government has stressed that with six or seven times the number of cases, even if the strain is less virulent, it will still stretch the health sector.
For Vincent Gomez and his partner Sophie Calzia, who live in Marseille, there was no question of cancelling their New Year’s Eve plans. They’ll be heading to the Alps with a group of friends for a few days of skiing and a party on the 31st. Gomez told FRANCE 24 he was not particularly anxious about Covid-19: Those attending the party who have been in contact with a Covid case will get tested before they arrive, and he and Calzia are not only fully vaccinated but also caught Covid just a few months ago.