After a long parliamentary journey, between the National Assembly and the Senate, the bill concerning the vaccination pass was finally adopted on January 16, 2022; it succeeds the health pass which came into force during the summer of 2021. From now on, the law introducing the vaccination pass from the age of 16 will apply as of today, Monday January 24, 2022. Instructions for use of the precious sesame.
You may also be interested
[EN VIDÉO] Why are we more afraid of vaccines than drugs? Nearly one in four French people refuses to be vaccinated. Most people, however, have no reluctance to swallow drugs. Where does this difference come from ?
Published in the Official Journal on Sunday January 23, 2022, the law introducing the vaccination pass for people aged 16 and over will apply from Monday 24 January. Those who have not been vaccinated will not be able to obtain the pass, but exemptions are provided for those who have been infected or are starting vaccination.
Vaccination pass, instructions for use
To get the new vaccination pass, people over the age of 16 should have a full schedule (two doses or just one, depending on the vaccine, and a booster dose). From February 15, you will have to do a booster dose four months – and no longer seven – after your second dose for the pass to remain valid. For people whose vaccination schedule is complete, the health pass will be automatically converted into a vaccination pass, no specific procedure is required.
16-17 year olds are exempt from the booster dose. Minors aged 12 to 15 will remain subject to the obligation to present the current health pass (negative Covid-19 test, certificate of complete vaccination or certificate recovery). Children under 12 are not affected. It will be possible to obtain your vaccination pass from the first dose, a provision intended to encourage vaccination. But it will then be necessary to justify a negative test for 24 hours for it to be valid and to commit to receiving a second dose in the following month.
If you have had Covid-19, whether you have been vaccinated before or not, the vaccine pass is valid eleven days after the positive test and up to six months later. It is therefore difficult to estimate the number of people who will be deprived of a vaccination pass insofar as this will imply both not being vaccinated and not having had Covid-19 in the last few months. Since the start of the vaccination campaign, 53.8 million people received at least one injection and 52.5 at least two.
Where is the vaccination pass required?
The vaccination pass will be requested to access leisure activities, restaurants and debits drinks (with the exception of collective catering), fairs, seminars and trade shows and public transport inter-regional (planes, trains, coaches). In the case of transport, an exception is provided for: no need for a pass for “compelling family or health reasons” – a dying relative for example – subject to presenting a negative test, “except in the event of emergency”.
A simple health pass (negative Covid-19 test, certificate of complete vaccination or certificate of recovery) will remain valid for those over 12 in order to access health establishments and medico-social services, whether for the sick or their companions. It will not be necessary to be taken care of in an emergency.
Identity checks, fake vaccination passes and fraudsters
In addition to law enforcement, the managers of places and activities subject to the pass, such as cafeterias and restaurateurs, will be able to verify the identity of the pass holder by asking him for “an official document” containing a photography. The fact of presenting a pass belonging to another and the fact of transmitting to another a pass with a view to its fraudulent use will be punished on the first breach by a fixed fine of 1,000 euros, against 135 euros currently.
The detention of several wrong step will be punished with five years’ imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros. Under the condition of engaging in a vaccination course, there may be no penalty for false pass. The lack of control of the pass by the operator of an establishment open to the public will be liable from the first breach to a fine of 1,000 euros, against a sanction from the third breach currently.
Interested in what you just read?