France prepares to introduce Covid-19 'health pass'
A compulsory health pass for access to cultural and leisure venues will come into force in France on July 21, certifying that the bearer has either been fully vaccinated or had a recent, negative PCR test. FRANCE 24 takes a look at the European countries that have applied similar policies.
Reserving access to venues and events for those who have been vaccinated or recently tested has sparked controversy in many countries, and France is no exception.
"The health pass will never be a right of access that discriminates among the French. It cannot be made compulsory for access to everyday places," French President Emmanuel Macron pledged in April during an interview with the regional press.
But barely two months later, under pressure from the soaring infections due to the Covid-19 Delta variant, the president did an about-face.
Starting July 21, the "health pass" (pass sanitaire) will be compulsory for access to leisure and cultural venues with more than 50 people, including cinemas and museums. From the beginning of August, it will be necessary to show your health pass to have coffee or eat lunch at a restaurant – even on an outdoor terrace – or to shop at a mall.
Customers will have to provide either a QR code proving they are fully vaccinated, a negative PCR or antigen test that is less than 48 hours old, or proof that they have recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months. According to the government's draft bill, restaurants could be fined up to €45,000 and proprietors face up to a year in prison if they fail to comply.
Since Macron's dramatic announcement on July 12, accusations of a "health dictatorship" have been spreading on social networks. According to the authorities, more than 20,000 people protested across France on Wednesday, Bastille Day, in the name of "freedom" against the president's announcements.
Protests in France
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