Paris (CNN Business) Many French workers can now eat at their desks without breaking the law.
To help curb the spread of Covid-19 , the country has suspended a longstanding prohibition on desk lunches, according to a government decree published Sunday.
The lunch break, or "la pause déjeuner," has long been considered sacrosanct in France. Until now, French labor code forbid employers from allowing workers "to have their meals in the workplace," reflecting the importance of food and meals in national culture.
Before the pandemic, French workers typically enjoyed a two or three course meal with colleagues at a nearby bistro . French media outlets have tried to project what the future will look like by running images of unhappy workers eating sandwiches at their desks.
The temporary rule applies to offices with more than 50 employees and where the layout of the cafeteria does not allow for social distancing. People must be at least one meter apart when not wearing a face mask.
People eat their lunch outside a closed restaurant on February 1 in Paris.
Desiderius-Erasmus on February 15th, 2021 at 16:51 UTC »
Unacceptable it like when we stop serving wine in high school in 1981 la over again.
Tight-Brush on February 15th, 2021 at 15:15 UTC »
French here. Obviously nothing would happen if you were to have lunch at your desk, but in general it's a good thing to have a "mandatory" lunch break.
Food is important guys, and so is taking breaks!
I live in Spain now, but we still go to restaurants for lunch several times a week (before covid forced us home that is...)
castorkrieg on February 15th, 2021 at 12:28 UTC »
I already see people not reading the article so hopefully this will get upvoted - the law in question prohibiting eating at your desk was ‘suspended’ in order to combat the spread of Covid-19 I.e. so that people do not sit all together in a canteen. It will be rolled back once the crisis is over.