France's vaccine pass will remain in place until hospitals are able to function normally without cancelling non-emergency procedures to make room for Covid-19 patients, Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Wednesday, announcing new rules easing access to the pass.
The government says the vaccine pass helps curb the spread of the coronavirus and has spurred more people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, in order to alleviate pressure on hospitals.
Critics counter that the pass impinges on civil liberties and some have taken to the streets in protest.
"When we have emptied intensive care units, or at least (...) when there is no further cancellation of procedures and if no new variant is in circulation, then the utility of the vaccine pass will be debatable," the minister told BFM TV.
France was still a way off that point, with 3,700 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, Véran said, suggesting that number would need to come down to around 1,000 before the vaccine pass rules could be removed.
Barring the emergence of dangerous new variants, that threshold could be reached by the summer, Véran said, adding: “The vaccine pass will come to an end, and judging by current trends, it is likely that the end will come before the month of July.”
Since mid-January, people in France have had to show proof of vaccination to enter bars, restaurants, cinemas and other public places. Previously, there had also been the option of showing a negative test or proof of recent infection.
On Wednesday, Véran said the rules would be eased to allow people with one or two vaccine doses to access the pass, provided they have also been infected by the virus.
“Scientists say that in order to benefit from the pass, one needs to have been exposed to the virus at least three times,” he said. “This exposure can be by way of injection or infection” and include “at least one vaccine dose”.
Thus, “those who have had one jab and two infections, or two jabs and one infection (...), or three injections, can benefit from the vaccine pass”, Véran added.
Asked whether France would require another booster shot, Véran said it would depend on whether there were further mutations of the virus.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP)
