As European countries simultaneously open up and face possible new waves of Covid-19 variants, France is moving to get ahead of both curves.
In a speech earlier this week, French Pres. Macron chose not to add new restrictions, but rather to ensure that existing ones are more fully enforced. Also, all healthcare workers will now be required to be vaccinated by Sept. 15.
The two places where the general public will see the change are at borders, where there has been criticism that arrivals from high-risk areas have not been fully enforced, and an expansion of use of the digital health certificate as a requirement to enter public places.
The health pass, which appears in the official Tous Anti Covid app, is now required for entry into any venue with more than a thousand seats. Staring next week, it will be required for all leisure and culture venues with more than 50 people, such as theatres and museums. By early August, that will also include bars, cafes, restaurants, hospitals and trains.
Visitors from countries outside the EU and Schengen areas will have to wait a few days for clarification of how the health pass requirements will affect them; EU citizens already have access to a pass that can be used in any of the countries, but so far there is no provision for visitors from U.S. and elsewhere.
