France Pushes Ahead With COVID Pass Despite Protests
Thousands Have Protested Against Government Plans To Extend The Use Of The Pass To Cafés, Restaurants And Inter-City Travel.
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 Cafés, Restaurants, And Air And Train Travel, As A Way To Curb A Fourth Wave Of The Coronavirus And Encourage People To Get Vaccinated.
But The Plan Has Led To Four Weekends Of Angry Protests With Almost A Quarter Of A Million People Taking To The Streets Across The Country On Saturday.
The Health Pass Is Generated In A QR Code Either By A Full Course Of Vaccinations, A Recent Negative Virus Test Or A Recovery From COVID-19. The Government Expects A One-Week Grace Period For Consumers And Businesses To Get Used To The New Rules.
“The Pass And The Vaccination Drive Should Help Us Avoid New Curfews And Lockdowns,” Health Minister Olivier Veran Told Le Parisien Daily.
The Pass Was First Introduced On July 21 For Visits To Cultural Venues Such As Museums And Theatres, As Well As Sports Games.
Veran Announced Slight Modifications In The Rules – Notably That Tests Could Be 72 Hours Old And Not 48 And Also That Self-Tests Carried Out Under Medical Supervision Would Be Allowed.
But He Emphasised There Would Be No Going Back On Rules Which Will Remain In Place Until At Least November, Lamenting The Attention Paid To Those Who Are “Anti-Vax, Anti-Science And Anti-State” Over Those Who Respected Distancing And Had Been Vaccinated.
Opponents Argue The New Rules Encroach On Civil Liberties In A Country Where Individual Freedom Is Prized.
About 237,000 People Protested Across France On Saturday, Including 17,000 In Paris, The Interior Ministry Said, Exceeding The 204,000 Recorded The Previous Weekend – Numbers That Are Extremely Unusual For Protests At The Height Of The Country’s Summer Break.
