France warns defiant restaurants as closure frustration mounts Issued on: 4 min Paris (AFP) The French government warned restaurant owners Monday that illicit openings would jeopardise their Covid-19 aid, as several defied the pandemic shutdown to serve meals in protest of a measure they say is increasingly untenable. Cafes and restaurants have been ordered closed since October 30 to curb the outbreak, and cash-strapped owners fear it will be several months before they can get back to business as usual. "All I'm asking for is the right to work," said Stephane Turillon, a chef in Cusance, eastern France, who launched his campaign for a nationwide protest last month.