The health pass may be required at least until July 31, 2022. This is the main provision of the draft law. “health vigilance”, definitively adopted by the National Assembly this Friday, with 118 votes for and 89 against. A much debated text that also governs the exit from the state of emergency, or access to the vaccination status of students. France Bleu takes stock.
Use of the health pass extended until July 31, 2022
In effect until November 15, health pass – negative Covid test, complete vaccination certificate or certificate of recovery – may be required until July 31, 2022, the government being able to decide to stop it earlier in the event of favorable evolution of the epidemic.
Mandatory since July in “places of leisure and culture” bringing together more than 50 people, the pass was extended in August to cafés, restaurants, fairs and trade shows, as well as to planes, trains, long-distance coaches and medical establishments except emergency. By decision of the prefects, the shopping centers may be subject to it. Since October, 12-17 year olds are also subject to the health pass. Employees in the sectors concerned have been required to have a pass since August 30.
The deputies included in the bill a series of criteria to justify the use of the pass: vaccination rate, the positivity rate of screening tests, saturation rate of resuscitation beds … But they did not no fixed numerical thresholds.
The government will have to present to Parliament, no later than February 15, a report on actions taken, their impact on health indicators and outlook. This report-balance may be the subject of a debate in committee or in public session, to which the government is committed, without satisfying the oppositions.
Strengthening the fight against fraud
The bill also tightens the fight against fraud: the transmission of a health pass to a person other than its holder with a view to its fraudulent use will be liable to a 750 euros fine. The fact of making or obtaining a false pass may be punished by five years imprisonment and a 75,000 euro fine.
Exit from the state of health emergency
In force since last June for metropolitan France, the transitional regime for exiting the state of health emergency is extended until July 31, 2022. It is this regime, a kind of toolbox available to the government, which allows to order restrictive measures (movement of people, events, access to establishments open to the public, etc.) including the health pass.
In the event of a worsening of the epidemic and if there was a need for more onerous measures such as containment or a curfew, the state of health emergency regime should be re-initiated. And if this regime were to be extended for more than four weeks, Parliament would have to allow it.
Regarding overseas, where the epidemic wave was strong this summer, the government has planned to extend until December 31 the state of health emergency in Guyana and Martinique, where the level of incidence remains particularly high.
Vaccination status of pupils
Until the end of the school year, school principals and secondary school principals may have access to information on the virological status of students, their contacts with infected people and their vaccination status. And this, with the stated objective of combating the spread of the epidemic, in particular to prevent class closings or organize vaccination campaigns.