“Medical certification” becomes part of life in France. Three types of certification (negative PCR test, certificate of completion of vaccination or recent recovery from Covid-19) will be required for anyone who wants to enter gatherings of more than 50 people from 21/21. 07. Next is restaurants, hotels, long-distance public transport, medical facilities … will require this certification from August 9th and the latest is 126 commercial centers with an area of over 20,000 m2 in about 40 areas. province from August 16.

Checking a customer’s Pass sanitaire medical certificate via mobile phone, at a restaurant in Strasbourg, eastern France, August 9, 2021. AFP – FREDERICK FLORIN

This measure, confirmed by the government to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic and also to urge people to vaccinate, will remain in effect at least until the end of the “medical emergency”, temporarily fixed until on November 15, 2021, according to the law on epidemiological crisis published in the Official Gazette on August 6.

Mixed opinions in the industry on «medical certification»

Effective two weeks ago, but medical certification checks on long-distance train lines are still random and random. As for the restaurant industry, the first week of application is also « practice ». For example, in the city of Arles (southern France), restaurants near the Arles Arena (Arènes d’Arles) always require guests to present a medical certificate before setting up a table. On the contrary, some restaurants in the old town « forgot » ask when there are too many customers.

Louvre staff check the “medical certificates” of visitors, Paris, France, August 6, 2021. AP – Adrienne Surprenant

Contrary to southern France, where there are popular tourist areas, the restaurants, bars and cafes in Paris often rely on international visitors during the summer months, as the people of the capital also go on vacation elsewhere. . With no customers, now we still have to “select” customers according to “medical certification”, making this business even more difficult, as shared by Phuong Tu Violette, manager of the restaurant Mam Son, in Montparnasse, District 6:

«We are really worried when the government issues a «passe sanitaire» for operations from August 9. Because when the restaurant reopens, July and August are the months. On the summer vacation of Parisians, the number of visitors was less than usual and now. Adding more medical certificates, we are more and more worried when customers are less and less, because according to what I monitor on the French Ministry of Health, only 60% of the French population is vaccinated, so, maybe say 10 people, up to 4 people have not been vaccinated, while we are required to follow the government’s requirements when checking documents whether two shots have been completed and how, because it takes 7 days When two injections are completed, the customer can enter the restaurant... We are also worried because protests usually happen on Saturdays when this is the busiest day of the week for our shop. So difficulties piled on difficulties!».

Of course, the examination of «medical certification» also caused mixed opinions in the restaurant and bar-cafe industry. Elodie, the manager of a restaurant south of Paris, in response to RFI, did not support the measure: “We will be forced to refuse customers while now we only have one wish to work. We have been closed for 9 months and now just want to work. It’s not in our interest to deny clients because they don’t have a medical certificate. I don’t think we’re qualified to do that.”

While Karim, the manager of a restaurant in Paris, said that “will refuse to let guests in (without a medical certificate). That’s the current regulation and we follow it». According to him, this is the only way to prevent the pandemic.

In the province of Pyrenees Orientales (southern France), there are many famous scenic spots, some restaurants, bars-cafés, even a pilot medical certificate a week before it comes into force to be open to the public. 2 am compared to the 23 o’clock curfew was implemented locally, because the rate of Covid-19 infection was higher than in other localities. However, the results were quite disappointing. For example, as one bar owner told Le Figaro newspaper, “in a group of 10 people, if one person has not been vaccinated, all will go to the next row without having a medical certificate”. In addition, tourists also do not want to violate curfews in those areas by not knowing that customers of restaurants that commit to medical certification checks are considered exceptions.