French Vax Pass Regime ‘Likely’ to be Scrapped… But Only If There’s No New Variant!

French Health Minister Olivier Veran leaves the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris on Aug
ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images

France’s Minister of Health has said that the nation’s regime of vaccine passes is likely to be scrapped well before its scheduled end in July.

Olivier Véran, France’s Minister of Health, has said that he thinks its “likely” that the country’s vaccine pass regime will be scrapped before its scheduled end in July.

While France continues to tighten the restrictions surrounding the pass, Véran noted that the situation surrounding the Chinese Coronavirus in France could see the pass scrapped sooner than expected.

In an interview conducted with the minister on BFMTV, Véran said that “the worst is behind” France in regards to the pandemic, and that the French government will ease measures when the health situation allows.

“If we can remove the vaccination pass before [July], we will do it,” he told the station. “When there is no longer a deprogrammed treatment in our country, if there is no new variant in circulation, the usefulness of the pass will be discussed and we can withdraw it.”

What’s more, based on France’s current situation regarding the disease, Véran claims that the easing of the measure is reportedly likely before July.

“The vaccine pass will come to an end, and given the current dynamic, it is likely that this end will be well before July, unless there is bad news,” the health minister said.

Also discussed was the end of mask mandates in the country, with Véran pencilling in Spring as a possible time for measures to be lifted.

“We have already done it. Before the Delta wave, we had removed the mask in cinemas … It was recommended, but no longer mandatory,” the health minister said.

“We will relive that moment, if the epidemic follows its course with a drop in Omicron, it will be in the spring,” he continued.

The French government up until now had put considerable emphasis on the tightening of vaccination pass rules, with President Emmanuel Macron previously saying that he wanted to “piss off” unvaccinated in the country with lockdown measures.

Since the implementation of a stricter regime of vaccine passes, France’s unjabbed have been banned from amenities in the country such as bars, restaurants, cultural venues, and interregional public transport.

Those who have not yet been boosted have also been clamped down upon in the country, with Véran previously claiming that up to 9 million vaccinated people in France are at risk of having their COVID documents disabled over them not yet having received an additional jab.

However, Véran’s recent comments may signal a momentum shift in French policy, similar to that seen in other European countries.

Since the start of the year, England, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden have all announced a significant relaxation of restrictions, with Sweden and Denmark, in particular, removing almost all lockdown measures in place within their countries.

Even nations such as Austria have announced an easing of restrictions, with the German-speaking state relaxing its “Corona Apartheid” lockdown of the unvaccinated this week, despite the government previously promising to maintain it in perpetuity.

The nation still appears adamant about implementing mandatory vaccination however, with those who remain unjabbed after the measure comes into effect facing the possibility of fines of up to €3,600.

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