Head of the hotel trade branch of the Union des Métiers et des Industries de l’Hôtellerie (Union Trade for the Union of the Hotel Trades and Professions) Laurent Duc deplores a genuine “catastrophe” for the hotel and food trades, because of the implementation of the health pass, especially on terraces.
On France Info, he claims the government “has gone too far with the compulsory health pass on terraces” and a “relaxing on terraces would have made the end of summer easier”. He thinks August will be “moribund” as clients have been cancelling since July 12, the day of Emmanuel Macron’s address.
In Italy, the health pass has been instated as well, but not on terrace, a difference Laurent Duc finds “rock solid logical”. He regrets a “split” in decisions, “the pass not involving hotels for renting rooms”, but compulsory to eat at the hotel’s restaurant.
He is not against the health pass enabling to keep stores open, but thinks requiring it on terraces is not justified. The indiscretion of such a measure makes him fear control of the health passes, likely to cause conflicts between restaurateurs and patrons. It adds to the lack of foreign tourists, who usually are a major share of their clientele.
