Covid France: QR check-in codes in use at public venues from June 9

Nearly all establishments receiving the public indoors from June 9 must display a QR code at the entrance for customers to check-in, as part of government measures to track the spread of Covid-19, it was announced yesterday (May 25).

This will apply to the indoor areas of cafés, restaurants and bars as well as theatres, gyms, sports halls, swimming pools, etc.

It will not apply to terraces or outdoor eating and drinking areas, or to well-ventilated cinemas.

For customers who do not have smartphones or do not wish to scan the code, they can leave their contact details in a paper logbook instead. They must either scan the code or fill out the logbook to enter the specified places.

The paper format of this system was in place in France last year before the second national lockdown in October.

France is set to further ease Covid-19 restrictions on June 9, with the opening of the indoor areas of restaurants, cafés and bars, as well as the reopening of gyms and other sports halls.

France will also roll out health certificates through the Tous Anti Covid application, that will allow people access to large events of over 1,000 people and facilitate travel this summer.

You can read about the health certificates in our article here.

How the QR code works

Customers will be able to scan the QR code using a tool called Signal, which is part of the Tous Anti Covid application. The app is free to download for Apple and Android phone users.

On entering the establishment, the customer scans the QR code through the Signal tool.

It records the place, date and time of their visit and this data is stored only on the customer’s phone.

The customer can leave whenever they wish without any other obligation. They will automatically be considered to have left after two hours.

If someone tests positive for Covid-19, they should signal it on the Tous Anti Covid application. This is not an obligation.

Any user who signals that they have tested positive for Covid-19 will trigger the application to send out a code containing information on all the places, dates and times of their visits to public establishments to other users.

Other users will not see the information related to where that user has been or at what times.

You will be notified if any code sent out matches any of your own information, within a two-hour window.

For example, if you check into a restaurant on the Champs-Élysées in Paris at 12:00 and another user, who later tests positive for Covid-19, checks in at 13:30 on the same day, the first user will be notified via the application.

You will receive either an amber or red alert.

If you spend time in a place where one other customer, who tests positive, has been, you will receive an amber alert suggesting that you get tested for Covid-19, limit contact with other people, and monitor your symptoms.

If you spend time in a place where three or more positive cases have been, you will receive a red alert suggesting you immediately self-isolate and get tested for Covid-19.

All data is erased after two weeks

The information will be completely anonymous. It will not store your name, age, address, etc.

Read more:

Glitch turns France’s Tous Anti Covid app (temporarily) English

Digital minister outlines France’s health pass for travel and events

EU Covid health pass approved for travel use from July 1