France vaccine passport law poised for enactment

Paris, Jan 21 (EFE).- The French constitutional council on Friday approved the key elements of a vaccine passport law that will ban unvaccinated people from accessing the majority of public and private spaces outside the home.

This was the final stage in approving the new legislation, which is due to come into effect on Monday.

The bill, proposed by president Emmanuel Macron’s government, was passed by lawmakers last week following intense debates in the lower and upper houses of parliament.

The constitutional council on Friday approved one of the most controversial features of the new rules, which will allow cafe and restaurant workers to verify the identity of customers to validate their vaccination passports.

However, the council dismissed another proposal that would have made the vaccine pass a requirement for political meetings and rallies, which are due to get into full swing with presidential elections slated in three months.

With the new law coming into effect, people in France will have to produce a vaccine certificate or proof of recent recovery from Covid-19 to enter restaurants, bars and public transport.EFE

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