A table with a view of the Mont Blanc, traditional blueberry tarts, but no health pass required - at the Parmelan refuge in the French Alps, one could almost forget the mandatory Covid pass to enter restaurants in the valley, 1,400 metres below. Mountain refuges, built by man to protect himself from the elements at altitude, are one of the very few categories of restaurant services exempt from requiring a health pass, now mandatory in cafes and restaurants across the country. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES