The health certificate came into force in France, Starting this Monday, as a measure to strengthen the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Entry into bars, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, hospitals and long-distance trains will be mandatory.
The French Constitutional Council -which guarantees the law’s conformity with the Constitution and fundamental rights- last week validated the use of the digital document amid several days of massive protests across the country.
Certificate Critics accuse President Emmanuel Macron of starting a health “dictatorship”, but the council said it involves a “balanced compromise” between public liberties and the protection of health.
There will be a week of tolerance for those responsible for carrying out the controls at the entrance of establishments to get used to this new tool, which is in the form of QR code, announced the executive.
It is an “additional constraint” at a time when the health situation continues to deteriorate, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said.
According to official data, on Saturday there were 1,510 patients in intensive care compared to 1,099 the week before. The number of admissions rose from 8,368 on Friday to 8,425 a day later. “The certificate and advances in vaccination should prevent us from further curfews and confinements,” said Health Minister Olivier Véran.
What will the covid certificate look like?
To be valid, the certificate must include the full vaccination schedule or a positive test certificate of at least eleven days and less than six months if you have had covid-19. ONE negative test “less than 72 hours” is also valid.
The certificate will not be required if you go to the family doctor, although it is required in hospitals, “but in no case should it constitute a barrier to access to useful and urgent care,” said Véran.
Health pass criticism
While some celebrate the measure, hundreds of thousands more oppose its use. About 237,000 people, 17,000 of them in Paris, took to the streets to protest, according to data from the Interior Ministry.
most of the protesters consider it an “obligation to be vaccinated in disguise” and think it is a disproportionate coercion. They say some employers could use this as a basis for dismissal.
Since Macron’s July 12 announcement of the certificate, more than 6.8 million people have made an appointment to receive the first injection.