MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

France's Senate backs Macron's stance on vaccination, albeit with some changes

France's Constitutional Council will still have the last word

Despite protests calling the measure a “fascist” idea that can only take place within a “tyranny,” France's Parliament has endorsed President Emmanuel Macron's initiative to extend the use of a health pass and make anticoronavirus vaccination mandatory for health-care workers.

The upper house passed the bill by 199 votes to 123, although some changes were made to the original wording, including the postponement of the implementation of the new rules until September.

However, the bill still needs to survive the Constitutional Council before becoming law, a step Prime Minister Jean Castex decided to take to avoid future accusations of acting against civil liberties.

In addition to making vaccination mandatory for caregivers, firefighters or professionals who work with the elderly, the bill provides for an extension of the health pass (which certifies one of the required conditions and that is immunization, negative result of a swab or certificate coronavirus cure) for cafés, restaurants, shows, exhibitions, airplanes, long-distance trains and buses, and medical institutions.

The majority of the Senate revised the text to make it “clearer” and “more respectful of human rights and freedoms.” In particular, it conditioned the extension of the pass to the reestablishment of the state of health emergency, until October 31.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated Germans may face new restrictions if infections continue to rise, according to Chancellery Chief of Staff, Helge Braun.

“Vaccinated people will certainly have more freedom than unvaccinated people,” she in an interview with the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

Germans need to be fully vaccinated or provide a recent negative test to use facilities such as restaurants, cinemas and sports centers or gyms.

But if infection rates continue to rise, unvaccinated people will have to reduce their contacts, Braun warned. “This could mean not having authorization to visit places like restaurants, cinemas and stadiums for unvaccinated people, considered as a risk is too high,” she said, although Germany has made it clear it will not force people to get vaccinated.