France will soon require a vaccine pass for practically any activity -- from eating in restaurants, attending the theater or getting on an airplane. If Novak Djokovic wants to play in the French Open, he’s likely to need one too.
With the omicron variant surging, the French parliament adopted a new set of rules that will tighten the so-called health pass that has been in place for months by removing the option that allowed for a recent negative test. Once the law is published in the official gazette, a completed vaccination regimen will be the only way to access most activities.
The changes come after President Emmanuel Macron took Europe’s aggressive stance against the unvaccinated up a notch earlier this month, saying he wants to “p--- off” people who don’t get their shot. The stakes for the 44-year-old president are also heightened as he’s expected to seek re-election in April.
Following the new law’s passage in the national assembly, the French sports ministry said there would be no national or international exemptions to the vaccine-pass rule. As things stand, that would mean Djokovic would be blocked from participating in the May-June French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros if he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic, who hasn’t been vaccinated, was deported from Australia on Sunday after losing a court case to have the cancellation of his visa overturned. The world number one tennis star’s anti-vaccination stance dashed his hopes of winning a record 21st Grand Slam singles title.
Although the French vaccine-pass stance may change by May, current rules would keep Djokovic away from the French Open too.
The French vaccine-pass rule came even as the jump in virus infections may be easing. The recent surge in cases may have reached a peak, Arnaud Fontanet, a member of the government’s scientific advisory board said on France Info radio. France recorded 278,129 cases on Sunday, the lowest figure in six days and below the level reported the prior Sunday.
About 80% of France’s total population has received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the health ministry.
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