Properly justify partial operation

The Ministry of Home Affairs, through a telegram, has stated that " people who carry out a business that requires them to travel (e.g. deliverymen) or to work outside (in particular, building sites and public works sites) must continue it […]".More generally, the Minister of Home Affairs states that the general philosophy of the measures taken is intended to slow the spread of the virus, which does not mean that "economic activity must be reduced […]".

Thus, it seems even more necessary for businesses that have closed down their operations to be able to justify that closure for economic reasons. In case of an application to declare partial operation, we advise businesses to substantiate their closure in accordance with the examples given by the Ministry of Employment, namely:

A decline in activity related to the epidemic: 

• Supply issues,
• The degradation of sensitive services,
• The cancellation of orders
• etc. 

The proposed reason "Coronavirus" on the online application website does not systematically affect all businesses. It is reserved for public establishments that are not essential to the lives of the nation and non-essential businesses that have been forced to close, such as restaurants, bars, etc. Construction, civil engineering and metallurgy companies in particular are referred to in the clarifications provided by the Ministry. A letter from the Chairman of the FFB, Jacques Chanut, addressed to construction and civil engineering businesses, is attached.

Click here to read the letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs

Click here to download the letter from the FFB

“Our experts are constantly monitoring regulatory changes providing support to businesses. Our articles are updated by midday on the basis of press releases and the publication of decrees by official bodies, which are deciphered by our experts. There may sometimes be a couple of hours delay between the official texts and our publication, the purpose of which is to provide you with preliminary answers to your questions."