Paris to allow coronavirus-era outdoor dining to become permanent

Paris will allow its café terraces, originally set up in response to the coronavirus pandemic, to become a permanent fixture of its dining scene.

The French city published new guidance on Monday that would allow nearly 9,800 bars, restaurants and cafés throughout Paris to set up outdoor terraces on a reoccurring basis every summer and remain permanently for some, according to Bloomberg.

Businesses will be allowed to facilitate spaces for more outdoor dining by using up to three parking spots in front of their locations for “summer terraces,” which will be open from April through October under the new guidelines. The new rules will also allow for record stores, florists and book stores to apply for summer terraces as the pandemic begins to lift, the news outlet noted.

Outdoor terraces became popular during the coronavirus pandemic and have provided Paris businesses with a lifeline as social distancing and other restrictions were enforced.

Not everyone, however, is welcoming of the new guidelines, Bloomberg reported.

Locals who live near the establishments have reportedly cited concerns of increased noise, and drivers have expressed concerns of less parking. To mitigate some of the concern, the guidelines require all terraces to close by 10 p.m., and they will not be allowed to play music.

Terraces will also be required to leave the sidewalk open for pedestrians and will not be permitted to use patio heaters due to environmental concerns. 

The new move is expected to work as part of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s plan to reduce the number of parking spots in the city and reduce the use of private cars. 

In 2019, Hildalgo introduced a policy to ban diesel cars and vans made before Jan. 1, 2006, from the capital between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays as well as motorbikes and three-wheeled vehicles produced before June 30, 2004, from Paris’s roads Monday through Friday in an effort to crack down on pollution.