Rabat – The French parliament adopted on January 16 a bill establishing the vaccination pass, which the government aims to soon implement to face the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill, which was adopted by 215 votes to 58, mainly calls for replacing France’s health pass with a mandatory vaccine pass.
“With the vaccine pass, France is equipping itself with a new tool to protect our fellow citizens,” said Health Minister Olivier Veran on Twitter.
As France aims to enact the bill by the end of the coming week, around sixty deputies denounced the introduction of a mandatory vaccine pass as a “serious violation of rights and freedoms,” according to France24.
Initially, one week of examination was scheduled for a desired application from January 15, but the period was extended following France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial remarks on unvaccinated people.
In an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien, Macron said he wanted to “piss off” non-vaccinated people.
Minors under 16 years old are exempted from the vaccination pass, whereas it was originally intended to be compulsory for people over 12 years old.
People aged 12 to 15 will remain subject to the obligation to present the current health pass.
Shortly after the vaccine pass law was adopted, Patrick Kanner, the president of the Socialist group in the French Senate, said in a tweet: “The advances that we have obtained are not included in the final text, in particular the removal of identity checks. [The bill is] An unbearable attack on freedoms. We are going to seize the Constitutional Council.”
After the entry into force of the vaccination pass, it will be necessary to have a valid vaccination certificate for those aged 16 and above to access public places, including restaurants, bars, public transport, and other establishments.
Previously, the “health pass” included either a vaccine certificate, a negative PCR test, or an antigen test. With the introduction of a mandatory vaccine pass, however, the negative PCR test will only be accepted to access health facilities and services.
According to the French Health Ministry, nearly 78% of the population is fully vaccinated but COVID infections continue to soar in the country, reaching over 300,000 cases daily.
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