The health pass will apply from Wednesday in certain places of culture and leisure, before an extension in August.

For professionals, caught between the control of their employees and customers, measurement is difficult.

"We are delegated a function, which is not ours, of control," laments François Asselin, president of the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME). 

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The health pass - negative Covid test, vaccination certificate or recovery certificate - comes into force from Wednesday in "places of recreation and culture" bringing together more than 50 people, except for 12-17 year olds, exempt from health pass until 'to August 30.

It will then be extended to cafes, restaurants, fairs and trade shows, as well as to planes, trains, long-distance coaches and medical establishments.

Employees in the sectors concerned will be required to have a health pass from August 30.

Without proof, they will be suspended, without pay, before a possible dismissal.

A difficult control function

"This is not our conception of social dialogue", deplores François Asselin, president of the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME) also boss of a carpentry SME.

"Restaurant managers, gym owners, need their employees to run their businesses and their customers to make it work."

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"In the meantime, what we fear is a reconfinement. We are delegated a function that is not ours, of control. It does not really interest us, but if we have to go there to fight against the pandemic, we are ready for it. On the other hand, we are not the enemies of each other ", adds the president of the CPME, wondering about the obligation of control by the professionals of their clients. 

"To hold up the stick to bring everyone towards this obligation: we could have done it differently," he notes.

He would have preferred a consultation upstream of the announcements of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, as was done throughout the health crisis, with the various partners and the ministries concerned in order to find a solution together.

"The government would have had the immediate partnership of the professionals we represent," assures François Asselin, specifying that "non-virtuous" companies were "ultra-minortiary" and that sanctions already existed, such as administrative closure. 

An "inadmissible" fine

"To brandish a 45,000 euros fine and a year of imprisonment, it was unacceptable", condemns the president of the CPME. This part of the bill was also rebutted by the Council of State. From now on, the lack of control by the managers of the places concerned will be punishable by a fifth class fine, up to 1,500 euros. In case of verbalization "more than three times within thirty days, the facts are punishable by one year of imprisonment and a fine of 9,000 euros".

"To judge to excess a mission which is not ours at the beginning does not favor the fact that we should work in partnership with the executive and the authorities", deplores François Asselin. The president of the CPME thus likes it for a running-in period, already announced by the government. On Europe 1, Secretary of State Olivia Grégoire spoke of "one or two weeks" to "adapt a number of things".