“I give them an appointment next Monday, August 30: the world of culture, restaurant owners, hotels, bars, the world of tourism, tour operators”, said the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, during the Rencontre des entrepreneurs de France (REF) at the ParisLongchamp racecourse on Wednesday 25 August. “Whatever the cost, it’s over. We have gone to tailor-made ”, however, he warned. This meeting in Bercy must decide to maintain certain aid to companies linked to the health crisis beyond August 31. The opportunity for the sectors concerned to discuss the impact of the introduction of the health pass.
On the ground, it has become commonplace. “I thought that the obligation for customers to present their health pass would pose a problem, but in practice, for the moment, it is going rather well”, testifies Placida Will, owner of the restaurant La Chaumière, in Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. It is true that this establishment has a capacity limited to 60 seats and works by reservation. “When the customer arrives, we check their reservation at the reception desk and at that time we check their health pass”, she explains.
And yet, on August 9, during the implementation of said pass, which attests to a complete vaccination or a negative test, the measure had the effect of a cold shower in bars and restaurants. “On August 9, the impact on activity was brutal, with a drop of almost 50%. Since then, there has been a recovery ”, says Didier Chenet, president of the National Group of Independents in the Hotel and Restaurant Industry (GNI-HCR). The Union of Trades and Industries of the Hotel Industry (UMIH) estimates that 80% of its members saw their turnover fall by an average of 20% the week following the fateful date, before recovering.
Cleaver decision
The shock was even more violent for the cinemas. Their attendance plunged 46% – compared to the average for previous years, calculated over three years – the week following the introduction of the health pass, on July 21, in cultural places. It was still down 37% in the last week of July, then 34%, before dropping back to 40%. The dark rooms have suffered the plaster of a decision cleaver and confusion related to parliamentary debates.
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