France's 'Vaccine Pass Introduction Bill' Passed by the National Assembly

Published 06 Jan.2022 18:41(KST)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] A bill requiring COVID-19 vaccination to enter multi-use facilities and use long-distance public transportation has passed its first legislative hurdle in France.

According to the daily newspaper Le Monde and others on the 6th (local time), after three days of intense debate, the French National Assembly passed the vaccine pass bill with 214 votes in favor, 93 against, and 27 abstentions in the morning, sending it to the Senate.

Unlike the National Assembly, where the ruling party La R?publique En Marche (LREM) holds the majority, the Senate, controlled by the right-wing Republicans, will review the bill again early next week.

The bill mainly aims to change the French government's previously used QR code-type "health pass" into a "vaccine pass."

The health pass could be issued even if one was not vaccinated, as long as a negative COVID-19 test result was obtained within 24 hours. However, once the bill is enacted, the certificate will only be issued to those who have been vaccinated or have COVID-19 antibodies.

The bill applies to those aged 12 and older, but the National Assembly amended it to require the vaccine pass only for those aged 16 and older for events inside and outside schools, such as school trips and after-school activities.

In the National Assembly, the clause allowing business owners, in addition to the police, to request identity verification when certificate forgery is suspected was controversial until the end. However, it passed after adding the condition "when there is a serious reason to suspect."

In France, 332,252 new confirmed cases were reported the previous day, breaking the daily record. The cumulative number of confirmed cases reached 10,921,757, ranking fifth highest in the world.