A good half a million French people are at risk of being classified as “unvaccinated” again.
Image: dpa
Anyone who was vaccinated seven months ago now needs a booster in France to continue to be considered vaccinated. The government wants to ban the unvaccinated from using cultural facilities, restaurants and long-distance trains.
DThe French National Assembly voted in second reading on Saturday to introduce a new corona vaccination card. It is intended to replace the previously applicable health pass and corresponds to the German 2-G rule. In future, proof of a corona vaccination or recovery via QR code will also be required in France in order to be able to visit shopping centres, cafés, restaurants or cultural events. A negative test is then no longer sufficient.
The French MPs met on Friday afternoon to discuss the controversial bill and almost 450 amendments in the second reading. After heated debates, the text was finally approved early Saturday morning with 185 votes in favour. There were 69 votes against and eight abstentions.
Actually, the law should come into force this Saturday. Despite days of deliberations in a mediation committee, the National Assembly and Senate were unable to agree on a compromise. The final vote of the National Assembly is now scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
New rules for proof of vaccination in the health passport came into force in France on Saturday. Adults whose second vaccination was seven months ago and who have not yet received a booster vaccination are now officially no longer considered to have been vaccinated. According to the Ministry of Health, around 560,000 people are affected by the measure. The stricter rules have been in effect for people over 65 since mid-December.
The number of infections has skyrocketed in France in recent weeks. Omicron now accounts for two-thirds of the cases sequenced. Most recently, the authorities reported a good 329,000 infections within one day. The number of infections registered per 100,000 people within a week was around 2829 nationwide.