Vaccination bill: cumulative negative test and vaccine, controls, sanctions… The avenues that the government is considering – Le Monde

Cumulative negative test-vaccine for certain places, possibility of extended controls, tougher sanctions in the event of presentation of false health pass… The draft bill to transform the health pass into a vaccination pass is taking shape, even if it is far away to be final. Monday, December 27, Emmanuel Macron will hold a health defense council dedicated to Covid-19 from 4 p.m., announced the Elysee Palace on Friday, as well as an exceptional council of ministers from 5 p.m. Then, the draft bill will go to committee in the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 29, before its examination in the same week for an entry into force targeted for January 15.

Initially announced by the end of January, the government has chosen to advance the schedule since Tuesday in the face of the fifth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic and the arrival of the Omicron variant on French territory. Thursday, December 23, Public Health France announced that the number of contaminations in twenty-four hours amounted to 91,608 cases in the country, a figure never before reached.

“Although the vaccination and the health pass have so far made it possible to limit the consequences of the epidemic on the health care system, it remains in high tension, while interventions that had to be postponed during previous waves must also be reprogrammed “, justifies the government in the explanatory memorandum to the text of the draft law. The executive is also concerned that “More than a million people identified as at risk do(have) still not started a vaccination schedule “.

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• A vaccination pass for access to leisure activities, restaurants, long-distance transport …

In detail, the bill would transform the health pass into a vaccination pass “For access to leisure activities, restaurants and drinking establishments, fairs, seminars and trade shows or even interregional transport”, in particular rail. However, the only presentation of a negative test remains valid. “For access to health and medico-social establishments and services”.

• The hypothesis of cumulating vaccination certificate and negative test on the table

The government is also considering reserving the right to demand a “Accumulation of supporting documents”, i.e. a negative test in addition to a vaccination certificate, when “The interest of public health and the state of the health situation” could justify it. The Ministry of Health has confirmed to Parisian ” provide »This measure inspired by the measures in force in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, without further details.

According to Matignon, from World, the “Cumulation possible” an up-to-date vaccination pass and a negative Covid-19 test will not, a priori, be applied in places of daily life, such as cafes, bars or restaurants, but in places of “High concentration” population. The establishment of this “Double pass” for a period limited to that of a “Epidemic peak” is also presented as a solution to avoid the closure of establishments. Especially nightclubs. Forced to close in early December, with the approach of the fifth wave of Covid-19, they could imagine reopening earlier than anticipated on the condition of putting in place this reinforced pass.

The other possible use of this double pass would be to encourage the vaccination of the last recalcitrant. A repentant antivax who would have carried out his first dose could, with this device, have access to the places subjected to the vaccination pass thanks to a negative test. And this from the first injection.

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“All the countries around us in Europe take strong restrictive measures by redefining or reinstating curfews’, explained for his part to say Yaël Braun-Pivet, deputy La République en Marche (LRM) and president of the law committee, Friday at the microphone of Sud Radio. “We are making another choice and believe that we can do without strong restrictive measures, but that we need to be more vigilant”, she said defending these new measures concerning the vaccination pass.

“The bill will not be the same after the consideration of the law committee”, also tried to reassure the president of the law committee. “Constant vigilance on freedoms. The measures that the government wishes to apply must be proportionate and necessary. Parliament makes sure ”, she said again.

• Possibility to verify the identity of the pass holder

If the draft law is adopted as it is, it would allow “To those responsible for checking its presentation to verify, in case of doubt, the identity of their holder of the health pass”. “It’s not quite an identity check that professionals will do, has justified Yaël Braun-Pivet. We are in the same register as when paying by check at the supermarket. It is completely constitutional. “

• Penalties revised upwards in the event of fraud

Lastly, it plans to raise the scale of penalties applicable in the event of pass fraud. The flat-rate fine would drop from 135 euros to 1,000 euros from the first offense, according to France Inter. The text also specifies that a decree “May provide for the conditions under which proof of commitment to a vaccination schedule is equivalent to proof of vaccination status” for people who work in establishments where the pass is required.

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• State of health emergency until March 31, 2022 in Martinique and Reunion Island

Parliamentarians will finally be invited to extend the state of health emergency until March 31, 2022 in Martinique and to declare it until the same date in Reunion, it being specified “That in the event of declaration of a state of health emergency in another overseas community before 1^er March 2022, this state of emergency will also apply until March 31, 2022 “.

• No corporate health pass in the bill

If the text does not include the track of a health pass in business in view of the reluctance of the social partners, majority deputies could introduce the device into the text by tabling an amendment.

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The president of the PS group in the National Assembly, Valérie Rabault, warned Thursday that if the group would vote “In principle” for the vaccination pass, he would oppose a company pass. The environmental deputies are also circumspect, and, on the National Rally side, the deputy for the North and spokesperson for the party, Sébastien Chenu, has indicated that he would vote against the text, whatever its content.

Covid-19: a negative test of less than twenty-four hours necessary to go overseas

All people – vaccinated or not – wishing to go overseas must present a negative Covid-19 screening test result, whether PCR or antigenic, within 24 hours from Tuesday 28 December, the government said in a statement released Friday, December 24.

So far a negative test of less than seventy-two hours for a PCR or less than forty-eight hours for an antigen was required prior to departure. This more restrictive measure will apply to passengers traveling from mainland France or a foreign country, the text said.

“This measure is necessary in order to protect the overseas territories from the new epidemic wave under the effect of the Omicron variant and to limit the circulation of the virus in the context of a strong resumption of contaminations in France”, specifies the government in its press release.

The bill transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass, presented on Monday, December 27 in the Council of Ministers, also plans to extend the state of health emergency until March 31, 2022 in Martinique and to declare it until the same date in Reunion. It is specified in the text that, “In the event of declaration of a state of health emergency in another ultra-marine community before 1^er March 2022, this state of emergency will also apply until March 31, 2022 “.

Political service (with AFP)