French government seeks to extend health pass powers to summer 2022

The French government is going to seek the authority to extend the right to impose health pass restrictions until summer 2022.

“It is important to retain, for several months yet, the possibility of invoking exceptional measures to protect the French people, [...] although obviously we hope that we will not have to use them,” said government spokesman Gabriel Attal today (September 29).

“What we are going to propose to Parliament is to maintain the possibility of resorting to [the health pass] for several more months, until next summer.”

“We are not yet at the stage where we can stop [this measure]. We will obviously adapt it as soon as we can but it is not yet the case today,” Mr Attal stated last week.

The proposal is due to be discussed by the Conseil des ministres on October 13.

The health pass requirement is currently in force across France until November 15.

From tomorrow (September 30), all children aged over 12 years and two months will be required to show their pass to access a range of different public spaces and services, including restaurants, cafés, cinemas, non-urgent hospital appointments and museums.

As of September 27, the Covid infection rate in more than half of France’s departments had dropped below 50 per 100,000 people, and the possibility of relaxing health pass measures in these areas had been suggested by several news organisations including Franceinfo.

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