France: COVID vaccination rate rises rapidly after Emmanuel Macron approves 'health pass'

Vaccination rates in France have started to rise again since the government enacted legislation requiring residents to obtain a pass in order to participate in certain social events, but social workers are concerned that the policy may further isolate migrants and other poor people. Doctors Without Borders put up tents in northeast Paris on Thursday, July 29, to vaccinate migrants, homeless people, and anyone without access to state or private health insurance, in an effort to bridge a possible split. Throughout the summer, the vaccine will be available in tents.

Similar measures are being carried out by other assistance organizations in other nations. "People think that these people wouldn't need a vaccine passport," Cristiana Castro, who oversees Doctors Without Borders' COVID operations in France, told The Associated Press. But she also stated, "they often need to access public places for housing, administrative processes, and they worry that one day the passport would be required to access those, and it creates a lot of anxiety," Cristiana Castro, who heads Doctors Without Borders' COVID activities in France, told The Associated Press that vaccination rates in France have begun to rise again.

When the tents opened on Thursday, a line of roughly 30 persons had already formed, most of them were refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sub-Saharan African countries. Many of them have lately arrived in France. "This is important," Bangladeshi migrant Afjal Miah said after receiving his first dose of vaccine.

"Health pass" necessary for travel in public places 

The vaccination rate at the Doctors Without Borders tent site has increased from approximately 25 to 120 individuals per day since President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 12 that a "health pass" will be required in restaurants, trains, and many other places throughout France. People must be completely vaccinated or have documentation of a negative test or recent recovery from the illness to receive the health pass. 

The health pass is already required for movies, museums, and any place with more than 50 people, according to Macron's declaration. From August, the new legislation will make it mandatory for air travel, interstate trains, and visits to cafes and restaurants. Vaccinations would also be required for health care employees and caregivers.

The Senate wanted the bill to be more civil liberties-friendly. According to parliamentary sources, the agreement means that the system will only be continued after a second vote on November 15th.

The pandemic has disproportionately affected migrants and the underprivileged around the world, and France is no different. According to the national statistics bureau, more than twice as many people born overseas perished in 2020 as those born in France, a figure ascribed to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on less well-off populations.

'Irresponsibility and Egoism'

Macron sneered at the protesters' use of freedom slogans. According to Macron, the family could be infected by someone who has not been vaccinated, or the person could end up in the hospital. He refers to this as irresponsibility and egoism, not freedom. The French government hopes to reduce the impact of the fourth coronavirus pandemic by increasing vaccination rates.