New ‘vaccine pass’ approved by French lawmakers after fierce debate

After three days of tumultuous debates, fuelled by controversial remarks by President Emmanuel Macron, the French National Assembly approved a bill early Thursday morning that would transform the country’s health pass into a stricter “vaccine pass”.

The bill passed shortly before 5:30 am Paris time with 214 votes against 93, and 27 abstentions. It still needs to pass in the Senate, which is due to review it early next week. Macron’s government wants the new measures to take effect on January 15, but implementation will likely be delayed after debate was held up in the Assembly.

Under the bill, people over 12 years of age will be required to prove their vaccination status to access restaurants and bars, cultural venues, or interregional public transport. A negative Covid-19 test will no longer be sufficient, except for access to health facilities and services.

The bill’s passage came amid a storm of controversy after Macron said Tuesday that his Covid strategy was to “piss off” the unvaccinated with increasing restrictions to convince them to get a jab.