I saw the following poster yesterday and it links to some of the themes of some English language courses at the Open University. The use of « the thing » rather than Covid is perhaps euphemistic but is perhaps also an inter textual link to the film of the same name.
The picture from the film Betty Blue is also a link to the product of the shop - it rents videos and also arranges for small scale screenings of films. The reference to Betty Blue might also relate to the use of a French phrase at the end.