VACCINE PASS. With the decline of the Covid-19 epidemic, the mask is no longer compulsory in places of leisure and catering subject to the vaccination pass, and a possible end of the vaccination pass is announced for mid-March. Train, restaurant, cinema, museum, we take stock of what is changing or not.
[Mis à jour le 28 février 2022 à 11h47] It’s the end of the mask this Monday at the cinema, in the restaurant, in the museum, in the theater, in the restaurant, in a fair or a living room… In these places subject to the vaccination pass, with the exception of transport, the constraint wearing a mask no longer exists. If this relief sounds like a deliverance for customers as well as for professionals in these establishments open to the public, for whom it is difficult to wear a mask for hours, it worries immunocompromised people for whom each outing can be fatal… This category of people represents “15 to 30% of patients hospitalized for Covid in critical care depending on the establishments”, according to the Scientific Council. The Vaccine Strategy Guidance Council even warned of a risk of “stigmatization” of this population which could be the last to “keep the mask on”.
But the end of wearing a mask only applies for the moment in places subject to the vaccination pass. With the “collapse of the Omicron wave”, government spokesman Gabriel Attal indicated that “the next step should be the lifting of the vaccination pass and the obligation to wear a mask indoors” everywhere, provided that the situation is “normalized in hospitals”. We could, according to the projections of the Pasteur Institute, reach this by mid-March”, he added. At present, the hospital situation continues to improve, we recorded this Sunday 384 new admissions to the hospital against 712 the day before.
Traveling to Nice on February 17, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran mentioned to France Bleu a threshold of “1,500 patients in intensive care” throughout France to end the wearing of masks everywhere indoors. On February 24, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran also announced before the Senate Social Affairs Committee a total or partial lifting of the vaccination pass in mid-March before the Senate Social Affairs Committee, detailing the 3 criteria necessary for this deletion. Which are they? In which places is the mask lifted this Monday, February 28? What date of the end of the vaccination pass mentioned? We tell you more below:
In which places subject to the vaccination pass is the mask no longer compulsory?
All places of leisure (cinemas, museums, sports establishments) and catering (bars, cafes, restaurants) are affected by the lifting of the mask indoors, while in shops, businesses, administrations, public services, public transport, the mask remains the rule. Indeed, “wearing a mask indoors will be maintained in transport and closed places not subject to the vaccination pass. In other closed places subject to the vaccination pass, wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory”, detailed a Press release published on February 11 by the Ministry of Health. The mask is therefore no longer compulsory in the interior spaces below subject to the vaccination pass, with the exception of transport (TGV, Intercités, night trains, long-distance coaches and domestic flights) subject to the vaccination pass:
- Cinemas
- Museums and monuments
- Theaters and other performance halls
- Concert halls and festivals
- Party rooms
- Libraries
- discos
- Trade shows, fairs and seminars
- Restaurants, bars and cafes
- Campsites, hotels and holiday centers
- Casinos and other gaming halls
- Sports establishments (sports hall, swimming pool, gymnasium, ice rink, horse riding facilities, etc.)
- Theme parks
- Boat cruises of more than 50 passengers
What is the end date of the vaccination pass?
If, in principle, the law on the vaccine pass is applicable until July 31, 2022, given the improvement in the health situation, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced before the Senate on Tuesday February 22 that the pass vaccine could be lifted “in mid-March in all or part of the places where it applies“. But he nevertheless conditioned the end of the vaccination pass on three conditions:
- A normal hospital situation: “We would have to go down to around 1,500 Covid patients in the sheave, for us to consider that the normal functioning of hospitals is restored”, explained Olivier Véran on February 22 before the Social Affairs Commission of the Senate.
- An incidence rate “fairly low, around 300 or 500 at most”.
- The virus reproduction factor R “permanently less than one”.
Where are we in relation to these projections? On Wednesday February 23, government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced a “health horizon” which “is clearing up a little more every day” and an “epidemic collapse” which “is continuing” with, in particular in one week, a number of cases down “by 40%” and an incidence rate now “less than 845 per 100,000 inhabitants”. “In one month, the incidence rate has been divided by more than 4”, he detailed. He also welcomed the improving hospital situation: “over the past week we have crossed a very significant symbolic threshold by falling below 3,000 patients in intensive care for Covid”. Finally, the virus’ reproduction factor R is today “significantly less than 1, which proves that the peak of the epidemic wave of Covid-19 is further and further behind us”. The vaccine pass will most certainly be lifted in “mid-March as announced by Olivier Véran this Tuesday before the Senate”, concluded the government spokesperson.
Given the very favorable Covid-19 epidemic situation, a report of the Senate commission of inquiry on “the adequacy of the vaccination pass to the evolution of the covid-19 epidemic” made public on Thursday February 24 calls for the end of the health system “without delay, but with caution”, pleading however for reversibility conditions if the hospital situation or Covid contaminations increase again.
What changes to the vaccination pass since February 15?
Since February 15, 2022, the French have had to take their booster dose from the moment they received their last injection for more than 4 months, against 7 months so far, under penalty of losing their vaccination pass. The measure applies to people aged 18 and over, but there are exceptions to all of this:
French people who have been infected with the Covid virus can keep their vaccination pass without a booster dose. To sum up, if you have injected a single dose of vaccine, but you have been contaminated twice with Covid-19, the vaccination schedule is complete, if you have injected two doses vaccine and you have been infected once with Covid-19, the vaccination schedule is complete. An infection is now equivalent to an injection, except in this very specific case: having been contaminated three times by Covid-19 does not make it possible to have a complete vaccination schedule.
With a deadline for the booster dose shortened to 4 months, the government granted an additional week for latecomers. However, since Wednesday, February 23, this period of tolerance has ended. “Those affected by their potential loss of the pass on February 15, after the seven-day notice period, will lose it today or tomorrow”, said Tuesday February 22 the Ministry of Health. Nearly 3.5 million French people would now find themselves without a vaccination pass, for lack of having completed it with the booster dose. A deliberate choice, motivated by a lifting close to the vaccination pass?
Also since February 15, the validity period of the certificate of recovery after infection with Covid-19 has been reduced from 6 months to 4 months. The recovery certificate is “one of the proofs that allows you to have a valid vaccination pass”, had indicated the ministry. This document is only issued to French people infected with Covid-19 more than 11 days ago and therefore less than 4 months (whereas before February 15, less than 6 months).
To obtain the vaccination pass, two conditions: present a complete vaccination schedule (with a booster dose within 4 months from the age of 18, unless you have been contaminated by Covid-19) or a certificate of recovery from Covid-19. 19 dating back at least 11 days and less than 4 months. Negative PCR or antigen tests are no longer valid evidence, unlike the sanitary pass. as concerned by the vaccination pass.