‘Health pass’ to grace France mass events

Article posted by Coliseum, May 20^th, 2021

Image: WTA

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has stated that French people who attend events that attract humongous crowds should use a new ‘health pass’ to gain entry.

‘Reuters’ quoted Macron as stating, “The health pass should not be mandatory for access to everyday places such as restaurants, theaters and cinemas or to go see friends. But for places with big crowds, such as stadiums, festivals, trade fairs or exhibitions, it would be absurd not to use it.”

‘Reuters’ further stated that France’s National Assembly approved the creation of a COVID-19 ‘health pass’ recently that people can use to attend crowded places, a hotly contested Government measure to help safely reopen the economy.

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The ‘health pass’, which will come into effect from June 9^th, will provide proof that a person has either been vaccinated against the coronavirus, holds a recent negative PCR test or is recovering from COVID-19 and therefore has natural antibodies.

The proposal was initially shot down in the Lower House over fears it would impinge on civil freedoms.

The health pass was approved on a second vote after the Government shortened the transition period during which it will be able to reimpose restrictions such as a curfew without the permission of Parliament once France’s state of emergency is lifted on June 2^nd.

COVID-19 has also hit France hard with the deadly virus claiming the lives of a little over 0.1 million people. France’s third tough national lockdown was lifted from May 3^rd, 2021.

Earlier, Macron had announced that from May 1^st, COVID-19 vaccinations will be made available to obese people over the age of 18.

France has begun slowly unwinding a third national lockdown despite registering nearly 20,000 new cases every day and with intensive care wards still saturated.

On May 19^th, restaurants, cafes and bars were allowed to reopen for outdoor service and shops, museums and cinemas will reopen. Three weeks later, places of worship and sports stadiums will be allowed to admit up to 5,000 people and foreign tourists will be allowed to visit the country.

Macron has said the ‘health pass’, which can be digital or paper-based, will curb the spread of the virus at events with crowds of more than 1,000 people. It will not be used for every day venues such as restaurants and cinemas or for access to public transport.

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