French parliament adopts controversial bill on vaccine rules
According to President Macron, people who do not get vaccinated are "irresponsible and egoistic". photo AFP, Ludovic Marin
Western Europe
The French parliament approved a bill that makes vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory for healthcare workers. The bill ensures a further tightening of the corona measures in the country as well.
From August onward, people must show a vaccination certificate via a so-called ‘corona pass’ in catering establishments and if they want to travel a long distance by train or plane.
Since Wednesday, visitors to French museums, cinemas and event venues have already had to show proof that they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus or tested negative. According to the French news website Franceinfo, this proof is not necessary for a church visit.
According to a recent poll, 62 per cent of French people support the measure, but there is also a lot of opposition. On Saturday, about 114,000 people demonstrated against the pass in Paris. The protests prompted the government to loosen the rules slightly. For example, the pass will not be necessary to gain access to shopping centres with a size of less than 20,000 square meters. According to Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, this will help the business community and limit the negative consequences for entrepreneurs.
Despite this, the bill has led to much criticism in France. Over the past two weekends, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the ‘health pass’ and mandatory vaccinations. Critics of the restrictive measures say they are excessive and primarily affect children and the poor.
There is a lot of resistance among the French, including in businesses such as the catering industry. Cinema owners have complained that they have seen their clientele drop by 70 per cent since Wednesday. An association of restaurants has announced that it will not review the requirements. They risk a fine if they indeed do not check their visitors. Initially, they will be fined 1500 euros, but this can increase if more violations follow.
Protesters clashed with police in several places in Paris this weekend. Police fired tear gas at the Champs-Élysées. In Marseille, protesters turned against a camera crew from television channel BFMTV, and a journalist is said to have been kicked.
Freedom
Many protesters in major French cities carried a sign that read “Liberté”, freedom. According to French newspaper Le Figaro, President Macron interprets this notion of freedom differently: “There is no such thing as freedom in which I have no obligations to others.” Freedom is never unlimited; he indicated, there are always mutual obligations. And, he said, if you infect me tomorrow, “I will be a victim of your freedom when you had the opportunity to protect yourself and me.”
The new measures will remain in force until at least 15 November. The French Supreme Court still has to approve the law officially.
France is currently dealing with a fourth corona wave as a result of the contagious Delta variant. At the beginning of July, about 4,000 new corona cases were reported in the country every day. This number has gradually increased in recent weeks. Last week, 22,000 new infections were registered in one day. In addition, the number of hospital admissions with corona is also increasing.
