Aug 9, 2021: People in France will need to show a health pass from Monday to enjoy usually routine activities such as sipping a coffee in a café or intercity travel, despite large scale protests against the plan.
President Emmanuel Macron has championed the so-called COVID-19 pass, which is now being extended to cafes, restaurants and air and train trips to prevent the fourth wave of corona virus and to encourage people to be vaccinated.
But because of the plan, there have been widespread protests as people took to the streets on the fourth consecutive weekend this Saturday to show mounting displeasure against the pass.
The health pass QR code being proposed by France is prepared either through a full course of vaccination, a recent negative virus test, or a recovery from COVID-19.
The government in France expects consumers and businesses to be given a week to get used to the new rules. “The pass and vaccination campaign should help us avoid new curfews and lockdowns,” Health Minister Olivier Veran told the Daily Parisian. The pass was first introduced on July 21 for tours of cultural sites such as museums and theaters, as well as sports.
Health minister Veran announced minor changes to the rules – noting that tests could be 72 hours old, not 48, and that self-testing under medical supervision would be allowed. But he insisted that laws that would remain in force until at least November and would not be reversed, drawing attention to those who are “anti-vaccination, anti-science and anti-state”.
“I am willing to hear the fears, do everything to reassure. But there comes a time when enough is enough,” he said.
Opponents argue the new rules encroach on civil liberties in a country where individual freedom is prized.
As many as 23,237,000 people protested across France on Saturday, including 17,000 in Paris, the interior ministry said, adding that more than 204,000 had been recorded over the past weekend. It is extremely unusual for France to witness such protests during summer break.
Recent polls suggest a clear majority of French back the pass, including the extension of it to cafes and restaurants.
The French Constitutional Council approved the plan on Thursday.
It will be needed in the interior and exterior of restaurants, but not on the metro system and suburban transport.
At present, the number of hospitalizations is lower compared to the previous highs during the pandemic, but on Saturday there were 1,510 people in intensive care at Cove 19, up from 1,099 just a week earlier.
Macron hopes the plan will further accelerate the vaccination campaign in France, where more than 55% now have double jobs.
Aides noted that about 7.7 million new bookings had been made for the jabs since the plans were outlined.
Cases are on the rise in Corsica and the Mediterranean coast, due to the influx of holiday makers.
But the biggest concerns are overseas territories of France in the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean, where a new lockdown has been ordered amid the slow pace of vaccines. Macron, who faces re-election next year, has repeatedly taken to the social media platform Tik Tok in recent days, which is popular among young people, to get his message across. “Vaccinate. Vaccinate. Vaccinate,” Macron said in the latest video on Friday.
“It’s a question of being a good citizen … our freedom is worth nothing if we infect our friends, neighbours or grandparents. To be free is to be responsible.”
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