French parliament approves COVID-19 vaccine pass

France’s parliament gave final approval to the government’s latest measures to tackle the COVID-19 virus, including a vaccine pass contested by anti-vaccine protestors.

Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament voted 215-58, paving the way for the measure to enter force in the coming days.

The new law, which had a rough ride through parliament with opposition parties finding some of its provisions too tough, will require people to have a certificate of vaccination to enter public places like restaurants, cafes, cinemas and long-distance trains.

“Currently, unvaccinated people can enter such places with the results of a recent negative COVID-19 test. Nearly 78% of the population is fully vaccinated,” according to the Health Ministry.

“Almost 78% of France’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”

President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to seek a second term in an April election stated that, he wanted to irritate unvaccinated people by making their lives so complicated they would end up getting the COVID vaccine.

Thousands of anti-vaccine protesters demonstrated in Paris and some other cities on Saturday against the law, but their numbers were down sharply from the week before, just after Macron’s remarks.

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Kamila/Reuters