The “tidal wave” of contamination linked to the Omicron variant prompted the government to announce on Monday increased aid for businesses affected by health restrictions, particularly the tourism sector.
Two existing systems see their conditions of access widened. All businesses subject to sanitary restriction measures will benefit from partial activity without out-of-pocket expense, indicated the Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire, after a meeting in Bercy bringing together employers’ organizations, and several representatives of tourism, hotels and restaurants.
Coverage of fixed costs extended to the entire tourism sector
The bases for triggering this system have been broadened and “all companies which have lost 65% of their turnover”, against 80% so far, will be eligible for reimbursement of the partial activity at 100% with no remainder to charged.
The fixed costs support system, until now reserved for a limited number of companies (events, indoor leisure, caterers, etc.), will for its part be extended to all tourism companies: “the famous sector S1 and S1 bis, there are hotels, bars, restaurants, travel agencies, all activities that are in the field of tourism, ”Bruno Le Maire listed.
The threshold for access to the system for covering all fixed costs has also been lowered, to 50% loss of turnover, against 65% previously.
The promise, too, to speed up reimbursement procedures
The minister also promised to speed up reimbursement procedures for amounts below 50,000 euros, “in a few days”.
He also indicated that two requests from the sectors concerned would be examined: the exemption from charges for companies which would have lost 65% of their turnover or which would be the subject of sanitary restriction measures, as well as the modalities of repayment of loans guaranteed by the State already granted.
“Many companies, especially the smallest of them, very small businesses, artisans, traders, fear that they will not be able to meet the deadline next spring, in terms of repayment terms and in terms of payment. ‘repayment schedule. I will therefore look in the hours to come to find out how we can answer this question, ”said Bruno Le Maire.
Still improvements to be made?
“The government has taken into account the situation of the sector. There are still improvements to be made, this is the whole subject of the discussions that we are starting now because we must act quickly, in particular concerning eligibility for short-time work ”, reacted to AFP Didier Chenet , president of GNI, the union of independent hotel and restaurant workers.
As for the accelerated compensation of companies up to 50,000 euros, “that’s a very good thing,” he said.