Paris, Jan. 16 (BNA): The French parliament approved, on Sunday, a law that would exclude unvaccinated people from all restaurants, sports arenas and other venues, the central measure of the government’s efforts to protect hospitals amid record numbers of infections caused by the highly contagious omicron virus. alternative.
The National Assembly passed the law by a vote of 215 to 58. Centrist President Emmanuel Macron had hoped to push the bill faster, but it was delayed slightly by resistance from lawmakers from the right and left and hundreds of proposed amendments.
More than 91% of French adults have already been fully vaccinated, and some critics have questioned whether a “vaccine permit” would make much of a difference, an Associated Press report reported.
Macron’s government hopes the new card will be enough to limit the number of patients filling strained hospitals across the country without resorting to a new lockdown.
The new restriction measures will deal another blow to the economy – and could also cancel out Macron’s chances of being re-elected in the April 10 presidential election.
So far, a COVID-19 card is required in France to go to restaurants, cinemas, museums and many locations across the country, but unvaccinated people were allowed in if they had a recent negative test or evidence of recent recovery.
The new law requires full vaccination of such places, including tourist sites, many trains and all domestic flights, and applies to everyone aged 16 and over.
Some exceptions can be made for those who have recently recovered from COVID-19. The law also imposes stricter fines for false permits and allows identity checks to avoid fraud.
More than 76% of French intensive care beds are occupied by virus patients, most of whom are not immunized, and about 200 people infected with the virus die every day. Like many countries, France is in the grip of the omicron variant, having recorded more than 2,800 positive cases per 100,000 people over the past week.
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