As infection rates rise, France insists on requiring health workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 Reuters

Authors: Ingrid Melander and Geert De Clercq

Paris (Reuters)-All health workers in France must receive COVID-19 injections. According to the new regulations announced by President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, anyone who wants to enter a movie theater or board a train will need it. Present a vaccination certificate or a negative test certificate.

In announcing the comprehensive measures to deal with the surge in infection, Macron said that at present the public will not be forced to vaccinate, but emphasized that the restrictions will be concentrated on people who have not been vaccinated.

“We must vaccinate all French people. This is the only way to a normal life,” Macron said in a televised speech to the country.

Health Minister Olivier Veran said that if the COVID-19 vaccine is not vaccinated before September 15, health workers will not be allowed to work and will not be paid.

“By September 15th, all health workers must get the second dose,” he told LCI TV, but did not explain what control measures will be taken to implement the measures.

Compulsory vaccination, even for medical staff and other professionals who have been in contact with COVID-19 susceptible people, is not common in Europe, and Macron has previously excluded it from France.

However, due to the highly contagious and now dominant Delta variant, the decline in vaccination rates and the sharp rise in new infections have forced the government to reconsider health workers, who must now be vaccinated by September 15.

People working in nursing homes must also be vaccinated.

Macron said: “A new time race is underway.”

The first sign that the new measures may persuade more people to get vaccinated is that after Macron’s speech, Doctolib, the website where many people order Covid vaccines, was overwhelmed. Guillaume Rozier, a covid data tracker, said thousands Of people have rushed to make an appointment.

Macron said that the health passes needed to attend large-scale events or go to nightclubs will now be more widely used, including access to restaurants, movie theaters and theaters. Starting in early August, long-distance trains and planes will also be required to board, which further motivates people to get opportunities.

Macron said: “We will impose restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated, not everyone,” and made it clear that starting from October, only people with medical prescriptions can be tested for COVID-19 for free. The fact is aimed at strengthening vaccination.

A health pass can prove that someone has been vaccinated against the coronavirus or recently had a negative PCR test for COVID-19.

Mandatory

France has increased from an average of over 400,000 first injections per day at the end of May to approximately 165,000 per day now. Approximately 53.1% of French people have received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 40.6% have been fully vaccinated-not enough to stop the spread of the virus.

If left unchecked, the rapidly spreading Delta variant could disrupt the economic recovery, forcing some governments to reconsider their COVID-19 strategy while citizens look forward to the summer vacation.

Greece also said on Monday that it must vaccinate medical staff and nursing home staff. So far, Italy, which compulsory vaccination of medical staff at the end of March, is an exception.

The Dutch government re-imposed restrictions on nightclubs, music festivals and restaurants on Friday, while the Canary Islands of Spain asked the government to restore the curfew.

However, England is easing restrictions and will become the first country in the UK to remove the legal requirements for wearing masks and maintaining social distancing from July 19.

After falling from more than 42,000 cases per day in mid-April to less than 2,000 cases per day in late June, the average number of new infections per day in France has risen again and is currently close to 4,000 cases per day.

In another long-awaited announcement, Macron also stated that France needs to postpone the retirement age, and once the COVID-19 situation is under control, the government will continue to carry out pension reforms.