France – The parliament of France on Monday, passed a legislation enforcing Covid-19 passes and making vaccinations mandatory for health workers amid a surge in Covid-19 cases across the country.
Monday’s move will require people visiting restaurants and other public venues, or those undertaking domestic travel on trains and aeroplanes, to show proof of vaccination, a negative test, or recent recovery from Covid-19.
The new legislation initially applies to all adults, however, will apply to everyone 12 and older from September 30 onwards. Paper or digital documents will be accepted and the new legislation says a government decree will outline how to handle vaccination documents from other countries. All workers in the healthcare sector will also be required to start getting vaccinated by September 15, or risk suspension.
On Saturday, over 160,000 people took part in protests held in several cities nationwide on Saturday against the government’s plans to mandate Covid-19 passes and vaccinations.
However, President Emmanuel Macron’s government has argued the rules are needed to protect vulnerable populations and hospitals as a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections grips France, as well as to avoid fresh lockdowns
