France Rages Against Vaccine Passports

In the past month, French demonstrators have been out on the street in the scorching heat protesting the government’s strict new COVID-19 rules. The French government plans to introduce a so-called COVID pass that will restrict unvaccinated people from entering bars, cafes, restaurants, gyms, and other facilities. This severely affects the freedom of French residents and they’ve decided to take matters into their own hands.

New video clips are being uploaded to social media accounts showing people in the capital of France marching on the streets. The pressure on the government is immense, and the protestors are relentless with their goals. It’s not just Paris. There have been several incidents in Toulouse as well, where demonstrators clashed with the police.

A Cry for Freedom

Thousands of people are marching in Nice, Toulouse, Paris, and other cities across France as well. They held signs such as “Our freedom is dying” and “Vaccine: Don’t touch our children”. The new COVID measures that restrict the freedom of the unvaccinated are effectively segregating people around the world and hurting our freedom.

Demonstrations in France seem to be the biggest. According to reports from the Interior Ministry, over 230,000 protestors took to the streets in the past week. The health passes are required from August 9 onward, and all health workers are required to get the vaccine by September 15.

A Controversial Decision

The French government says that the controversial decision is necessary to curb a new COVID-19 wave of infections. This time, the delta variant can make things even worse, especially after reports that vaccines may not be fully effective against it.

Starting from August 9, unvaccinated people in France won’t be able to enter gyms, bars, restaurants, and other indoor facilities. Vaccinated residents should have a COVID pass which should enable them to use any service like before.

The pass was promoted by French president Emmanuel Macron. As soon as it was announced, the president also made vaccines mandatory for health workers, who should receive their vaccine by September 15 at the latest.

This has caused an outrage among French residents. So far, 54% of France’s population has been fully vaccinated, but the rate has dropped in recent months. With the delta variant concerning health professionals and fall and winter on our doorsteps, health passports are the last straw many governments are holding to in order to curb a new wave of infections.