Political Minefield
The appointment of François Bayrou as France’s new Prime Minister highlights the formidable challenges facing the country as it struggles with political gridlock, economic uncertainty, and public discontent.
France’s highest constitutional body has approved measures proposed by the government to extend the use of the health pass to a wider range of public places, and make Covid-19 vaccination for health workers mandatory.
The Constitutional Council said in a statement issued on Thursday that health pass measures comply with the constitution, reports Xinhua news agency.
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To curb the spread of more infectious Covid-19 variants, the government proposed in July that people wishing to enter cafes, restaurants, gyms, shopping centres and even hospitals (except for emergencies), would have to show a certificate proving they had been fully vaccinated, tested negative, or recently recovered from coronavirus.
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In France, the health pass has been compulsory since July 21 for gatherings of more than 50 people in cultural and leisure venues such as cinemas and museums.
Meanwhile, the court rejected the government’s wish to impose a 10-day quarantine on anyone testing positive for Covid-19.
It also threw out a provision that would allow employers to dismiss people on fixed-term or temporary contracts who do not have the health pass.
The new restrictions, voted by Parliament last month and due to come into effect on August 9, have sparked public anger.
While the executive argues that the new rules are needed to contain the highly contagious Delta variant and prevent fresh national lockdowns, critics say the measures are an attack on people’s personal freedoms.
To date, over 36 million people in France have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Health Ministry figures.
However, the country is currently facing a fourth wave of the pandemic, triggered by the Delta variant.
The country has logged 6,298,649 Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, while the death toll stood at 112,282.
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