France Covid health pass: What are the precise rules for gîtes?

Reader question: We saw your article about the health pass rules for gîtes. We run a gîte and thought that the health pass was only required at campsites and holiday parks. Can you clarify?

The Connexion published yesterday (August 12) an article outlining the health pass rules for hotels, bed and breakfasts, holiday camps, gîtes and other holiday rentals - France health pass: The rules for tourists and hotels, gîtes and B&Bs

In it, we state that guests must show their Covid health pass at “gîtes with shared facilities, spaces or activities”.

To be more specific, this applies to ‘group gîtes’ (gîtes de groupe), which refers to large structures accommodating 12-100 at a time, but also, for example, to individual gîtes which have access to a shared swimming pool, based on information provided by Gîtes de France, a large network and quality labelling body for those offering B&B and gîte accommodation.

A ‘shared’ pool would be one that is not just private to your own group’s accommodation, but is shared with other groups of holidaymakers as well.

Gîtes de France states it is Europe’s largest network of its kind, with some 67,000 properties having its label. The body states:

“The health pass is required from the arrival of the first guest to rentals that offer breakfast or a table d'hôtes, as well as for those that offer common spaces and activities (common room, common kitchen, common pool, common wellness area, etc.).

“This applies to guest houses, group gîtes, campsites, holiday villages and also to gîtes with common swimming pools etc.

“It is not required for rentals that only offer accommodation with or without private facilities.”

Reader question: My reading of the requirement is that gîtes with some shared facilities accommodating up to 49 people are exempt. Is this the case?

No. When the health pass was extended to culture and leisure venues on July 21, it only initially applied to places capable of hosting over 50 people.

The rule of 50 was dropped on August 9, when the health pass was extended to a wider range of public venues.

Gîtes de France states, “the health pass is required from the first guest…”

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