560,000 May Lose COVID Pass After Booster Shot Requirement

A man displays a banner, promoting the alleged conspiracy theory website 'reinfocovid
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Nathaniel Charles

An estimated 560,000 French people are set to lose access to their coronavirus passport over the third coronavirus jab requirement.

The French National Assembly approved changes to the nation’s coronavirus legislation banning the unvaccinated from a wide variety of public places, a development that came just a day after the rules changed to make the ‘booster’ third shot mandatory to keep the health pass valid.

As a result of the change , an estimated 560,000 French people who are double vaccinated are set to start having their passes deactivated from Saturday, Le Figaro reported. On Sunday, further new rules were voted in by France’s National Assembly 185 to 69 votes to ban the unvaccinated from venues like restaurants, stadiums, and museums.

On top of the three jab requirement already in the works, the French legislature cleared the way on Sunday for the coronavirus pass to be transformed into a fully-fledged vaccine passport, with negative coronavirus screening tests no longer being valid to enter into public spaces such as cafes and restaurants, France24 reported.

Those aged 12-15 will be able to keep the previous health pass, which allows them to continue to attend public venues such as restaurants or the cinema with a negative test.

The deputies in the National Assembly however have acted against the wishes of the French Senate, as the Senate stated they would only back vaccine passes if more than 10,000 people were hospitalised nationally in France as a result of Covid – which has not occurred, BFMTV reports.

The news of this change comes just over a week after French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to “piss off” unvaccinated individuals – a statement resulting in a 100,000 strong protest in opposition of vaccine passports on the 8th of January 2022.

The new and existing rules surrounding coronavirus and vaccine passports are said to be confusing with Le Figaro reporting that many French citizens have “several misunderstandings about the validity conditions of their pass”.

Ahead of the latest vote, large numbers of the French Gilets Jaunes or ‘yellow vests’ once again took to the streets protesting in opposition to vaccine passports.

The supporters of the march in Paris gave the impression of having been from across the political spectrum with Palestinian and Antifa flags being waved alongside French flags, according to footage shared on social media.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to clarify the change in vaccine passport eligibility and banning the unvaccinated from public venues in France are separate developments occurring on different dates.

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