パンデミックのパリより思う事
ご存知のようにヨーロッパは完全にパンデミックで現在僕が居住しているフランスは3月中旬より外出規制措置強化、学校及び飲食店、娯楽施設全て閉鎖しています。
3/14夜、コロナの影響で空いているレストランに普段から迫力のあるフランス人の社長が血相を変えてやってきて言いました。
「ボトルを全てカーブにしまってくれ、今夜24時に全てのバーやレストランは閉めなければいけなくなった。」
マクロン大統領が政令を発表した20時のその４時間後にはフランス全土のレストランを閉めなければいけなくなったので町中、いや国中の飲食店は大パニックでした。
ボトルをパンパンに入れたケースを地下のカーヴへ運び入れながら、2018年のシャンゼリゼ店での雇用契約解除の記憶がよぎりました。イエローベスト運動の暴動の影響による客足の激減が理由でした。
パリで自分の店を開きたい、そう志高くと覚悟を決めていても自分ではどうしようも出来ない、悔し涙が出そうになる事が9年間のフランス生活の間に何度かありました。「ヤバイかな今回は」直感でそう思いました。無期限営業停止のまま、この人数のスタッフは抱えていられる訳が無い。(3店舗で80人くらい)
ボトルが一本も無いバックバーを不安な顔で掃除をする僕をよそにディレクターが来て言い放ちました。
「リオ、嬉しいか、初めての失業手当は？」
フランス政府は飲食店の休業命令と同時に雇用者には一時的失業者として給与の84%を保証する事を発表していました。(3～4月で85億ユーロ)それだけで無く企業支援措置として450億ユーロを捻出する事、子どもの面倒をみるために仕事を休む親への給与補償(15億ユーロ)、商店や自由業者への補償基金(20億ユーロ)なども含まれています。
フランス政府の政策及び労働法は移民の僕の生活まで保証してくれるのです。現在コロナに対する日本政府の対応をニュースなどで見る限り、十分な政策を取っているとは思えません。東京で小さなお店を経営している友人やフランスから移民として日本で働いている友人達の事がとても心配です。
現在ヨーロッパでのパンデミックが近く東京で起きないとも限りません。政治に関わる方、有識者の方々には自粛要請のみでは無く今は人命を優先に考え、人の移動を短い間でも完全に制限する事、同時にそれを可能にする金融援助政策の提案を願うばかりです。
As you know, Europe is experiencing the pandemic now.
In France, where I am currently living, there has been tightened situation specifically restrictions on outgoing activities since mid-March and has closed all schools, restaurants and recreational facilities.
On the night of March 14th, our French restaurant owner’s face changed color and became panicky when he came to the restaurant almost empty due to the influence of Coronavirus.
He told me, “Put away all the bottles to the wine cellar ! The restaurant has to be closed at 24:00 tonight."
President Macron announced his ordinance at 20:00 that all restaurants across France had to be closed. Because of this, there’s panic all over the country.
While I was carrying a case filled with bottles of alcohol to the underground wine cellar, I remembered the cancellation of my employment contract at the restaurant at the Champs-Elysees in 2018. The reason was that the number of customers back then dropped sharply due to the riots of the Yellow Best Movement.
During my nine years of life in France, there was some moment that I almost shed bitter tears, and I’ve even made up my mind to open my own bar in Paris.
I was worried that time as I thought so intuitively as the restaurant said that there was no reason to have a number of employees including me to support its operations. Thus, its indefinite suspension. There were only about a total of 80 people at three stores.
Going back to the present time when I was cleaning the bar shelves with no bottles and with an uneasy face; the bar director came and asked me, "Rio, are you happy with your first unemployment benefit?"
The French government has announced that it will guarantee employers 84% of the employees’ salary as temporary provision while work is not possible as the restaurant is closed.
The government allots 8.5 billion euros for March-April. Not only that but it will also provide 45 billion euros to support corporate businesses, 1.5 billion euros to compensate for parents who had to leave their jobs to take care of their children, and 2 billion euros for shops and free traders including a compensation fund.
The French government's policies and labor laws also guarantee to support even the needs of immigrants like me.
As far as the news and other reports on the Japanese government's response to coronavirus are, I don't think it has provided sufficient policy.
I'm very worried about my friends who run a small store in Tokyo or work in Japan as immigrants from France.
There is no guarantee that how we are experiencing the pandemic in Europe will soon occur in Tokyo.
People who are involved in politics and intellectuals should not only request self-restraint but also give priority to human life and completely limit the movement of people even for a short period of time, and hopefully also provide a financial assistance policy that makes limited activity possible.
