VACCINE PASS. Faced with the spread of Covid-19, the government wishes to adopt the law on the vaccine pass during the first half of January 2022. The pressure is increasing on unvaccinated people who will not be able to obtain the new vaccine pass with a negative coronavirus test.
[Mis à jour le 22 décembre à 18h52] After the announcement of the transformation of a health pass into a vaccine pass, the government has not closed the door to potential future measures to contain the Covid-19 epidemic in France. During his traditional report of the Council of Ministers, this Wednesday, Gabriel Attal indicated that a new point would be made on the epidemic situation in France. “We will reassess the health situation at the next Council of Ministers, scheduled for Monday,” he said even though the government spokesman added that there should be no new restrictions “immediately” .
To obtain the vaccination pass, the 5.6 million French adults who are still unvaccinated will no longer have the PCR or antigen tests with a validity period of 24 hours. Only a complete vaccination schedule or a certificate of immunity will allow this. If the bill is passed in parliament, access to places of recreation, long-distance trains and restaurants will be prohibited to unvaccinated people, even tested.
Faced with the progression of the Omicron variant which represents nearly 20% of contaminations in France, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Tuesday to accelerate the tabling of the bill, detailing the schedule for the implementation of the vaccine pass, instead and place of the health pass. As of Monday, December 27, an extraordinary council of ministers will be held to study the bill that was initially due to be presented on January 5. “The sooner we have the vaccine pass, the sooner we will be protected,” said government spokesman Gabriel Attal from Matignon. The Assembly will examine the text on Monday 3 January, when Parliament returns. The government aims for adoption of the vaccine pass “from the first half of January”, provided that senators and deputies find a rapid agreement on the text. The timetable could therefore still be changed.
Practical information
Jean Castex announced that a bill “to transform the health pass into a vaccine pass” would be examined from December 27 during the first Council of Ministers. The government also wants to “tighten the conditions of control and sanctions against false passes.” The bill should be examined and debated in the National Assembly on Monday, January 3, 2022. If no date is for daylight saving time, the government wants the vaccination pass to enter into force during the first half of January . It is quite likely that the government can keep its calendar: the presidential majority in the National Assembly should validate the bill, but the Senate could slow down its adoption.
The vaccination pass will be strictly reserved for vaccinated or immunized people, where the health pass gave the possibility of being tested negative for Covid-19. As soon as it comes into force, the vaccination pass will be available to all people with a complete vaccination schedule or certificate of recovery. To do this, you must have taken both doses, or one if you have ever been infected with coronavirus, and the booster dose if you are affected by it. Details should be provided by the government quickly.
With this measure, the government clearly aims to “put stress on the unvaccinated” in the words of the Prime Minister, who judges that it is “no longer possible” to have nearly 5 million unvaccinated. in the country. During his speech, Jean Castex recalled the importance of vaccination and recall, in particular in the “speed race” against Covid-19 and the Omicron variant which “should be in the majority in the territory from the start of year, “he said. In addition, he specified that this law should make it possible to “tighten the controls and the sanctions against the false pass”.
If the law is adopted, the places subject to this new pass should probably be the same as those currently subject to the health pass, since it is a transformation of the latter. A negative test will no longer be enough: it will necessarily be necessary to have been vaccinated (or cured of the Covid) and to have received a booster dose to go to the following places:
- Restaurants, bars and cafes, including terraces.
- Trains long distance (TGV, Intercités, night trains): trains affected by the health pass will be “subject to this vaccination obligation”, according to a ministerial source. This should be clarified soon. The pass is not required for daily transport (TER, RER, Transilien, metros and buses are not affected).
- Campsites, hotels and holiday centers in certain cases only : campsites, holiday centers and hotels which only have an accommodation offer are not subject to the pass. On the other hand, campsites, holiday centers and hotels which have a restaurant, bar, swimming pool or performance hall require the pass, but only once upon arrival at the campsite, and regardless of the length of stay. .
- Sports halls or swimming pools : the pass is in effect for access to all sports establishments, such as weights and fitness rooms, indoor or outdoor swimming pools.
- Stadiums and other outdoor sports facilities : the pass is required to enter a stadium.
- Ski stations : the pass is made compulsory on board the ski lifts.
- Hospital : the pass is compulsory for patients and visitors to hospitals and nursing homes, except in emergency rooms.
- Museums and monuments : At theTriumphal arch, the Eiffel Tower, the Castle of Versailles or any other museums and monuments, the pass is required.
- Amusement parks : the pass is required to go to amusement parks, such as the Asterix Park, Futuroscope or Disneyland Paris.
- Concerts and festivals : the obligation concerns concerts, shows and festivals bringing together more than 50 spectators.
- Movie theater : the pass is in effect in movie theaters.
- Theaters and other performance halls : theaters, operas, conservatory, lyric art … The pass is compulsory when the gauge exceeds 50 spectators.
- Trade fair and fairs : a contemporary art fair, such as the FIAC, a large-scale exhibition such as the Salon de l’Agriculture, du Chocolat or the Salon du Livre or the Mondial du Tatouage … The accessibility of all these places is subject to the pass. It is required in fairs and exhibitions with a capacity exceeding 50 people.
- Casinos and other gambling halls : casino activities, with or without contact, as well as bowling alleys, escape games and gaming rooms.
- Places of worship : “Type V” worship establishments, namely churches, mosques, synagogues or temples, are subject to the pass only within the framework of activities “which are not of a religious nature”, or leisure activities such as a concert or show, organized in these establishments. But in no case is the pass required during ceremonies or times of prayer.
- Weddings : If the wedding ceremony takes place in a private location, the pass is not required. On the other hand, in places accessible to the public (village hall, etc.), it is.
- Boat cruises : the pass is compulsory as long as 50 passengers are present.
- Nightclubs : nightclubs will require the pass when they reopen.
- Trip : the pass is compulsory for connections between hexagonal France and Corsica or even mainland France and Overseas France.
If the possibility of obliging employees to present a vaccination pass to their company in order to be able to work has been considered, discussions with representatives of employees and employers have led the government to review its position on the subject. The hypothesis will therefore not appear in the bill which must be studied by the ministers on Monday, December 27.
More than ten countries are already using the vaccination pass around the world. Recently, Sweden opted for the vaccination pass from December 1 for indoor gatherings of more than 100 people. A new measure which comes at a time when the country has one of the lowest incidence rates (197 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) in Europe. Since November 18, the Czech Republic also uses this system. To enter shops and restaurants, hotels, museums or sporting events, you must be vaccinated or cured of Covid-19. Even more stringent, Latvia, which announced that unvaccinated deputies have been suspended from their duties since November 15. A decision that should last at least until July 2022 and then will be reviewed every two months. Finally, Estonia, which combines technology and the vaccine passport. Indeed, the country had launched a digital “immune passport” in June 2021 for all employees in the country. Thus, once employees have arrived at their workplace, they must present their mobile phone to a terminal which analyzes their immune system in the face of Covid-19.