Liberté! France Announces ‘Suspension’ of Vaccine Pass Regime

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 08: French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the media ahead
Hannibal Hanschke - Pool/Getty Images
Peter Caddle

After a short yet controversial reign, France’s vaccine pass regime is set to be “suspended” by mid-March.

First introduced in January, France’s pass system was controversial even before implementation, with the country’s president — Emmanuel Macron — explicitly stating that the purpose of the new measures was to “piss off” the nation’s unvaccinated.

However, such controversy now appears set to come to an end, with France’s prime minister announcing the passes limiting the freedoms of unjabbed individuals would soon be “suspended”.

According to a report by Le Monde, both the vaccine pass regime, as well as a variety of forced mask-wearing measures, are to be terminated on March 14th.

“The conditions are met for a new phase of relief of the measures, so I announce to you that from Monday March 14th we will suspend the application of the vaccine pass, wherever it applies,” the publication reports Prime Minister Jean Castex as saying on Thursday.

Castex also said that forced mask-wearing would be largely abolished on that date for the vast majority of indoor locations.

Some measures will however remain in place post-March 14th, perhaps most notably compulsory vaccination for the nation’s caregivers.

Forced mask-wearing will also not be going away in its entirety either, and while a variety of mask mandates are being lifted in France by mid-March — such as those requiring individuals to wear face coverings in shops and businesses — other mandates requiring those looking to use public transport or to visit healthcare settings are also set to stay.

Despite the fact some measures will be remaining in place, the “suspension” of the French vaccine pass is to represent a significant relaxation of the restriction on the country’s unvaccinated, with Castex crediting the loosening to the decline of the pandemic.

However, in other French news on Thursday, incumbent French president Emmanuel Macron — who presided over the implementation of the harsh measures — is to formally launch his campaign with a so-called ‘Letter to the French’.

According to a report by Le Parisien, Macron is announcing his campaign at the very last minute, with the candidacy deadline for the election being Friday, March 4th.

Macron is currently leading in the polls, but faces stiff opposition from the populist right, with the combined support for veteran right-wing politician Marine Le Pen and political firebrand Eric Zemmour posing a significant challenge to the La République En Marche leader.

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