By Antony Paone
PARIS, July 21 (Reuters) – Cafes along the banks of the Seine in Paris normally buzz with activity in the summer, but restrictions ahead of the Olympics have limited movement in the city centre, leaving restaurants empty of diners.
Police have imposed a security zone along the river, erecting metal barriers to fence off neighbourhoods and requiring authorization – passes with QR codes – to enter.
“There is nobody,” said Liliane Khalil, owner of Aux Anysetiers du Roy, surveying rows of empty tables at her restaurant.
“The worst part is that you have reservations because you have been around for some time already, but people don’t know that they need to have a QR code,” added Khalil.
The opening ceremony takes place on the Seine next Friday, with thousands of athletes and performers involved in the unprecedented event.
French officials have said that while there are no specific terrorism threats to the ceremony, it has created an unprecedented security challenge.
The drop in business took many restaurant owners by surprise, with some seeing 80% fewer customers due to the stringent security measures, according to the head of the French restaurant owners’ association, Alain Fontaine.
“Everyone had lined up temporary workers to gear up for what we were anticipating – but this, no one had thought about,” said Khalil.
(Reporting by Antony Paone and Manuel Ausloos, writing by Mimosa Spencer, editing by Giles Elgood)
