The coronavirus epidemic is experiencing a swift escalating in France. More contagious than the previous mutations, the Delta variant has caused a fourth wave over the summer. A situation that led the government to make strong measures: mandatory vaccine for caregivers, health pass extended to many public places. The latter aims at encouraging the French to get more vaccinated.
Since then, the draft bill has been debated by the main institutions, while people where in the streets, the French protesting against the extension of the health pass. After a week’s debate between the National Assembly and the Senate, on Sunday July 25, 2021, the draft bill was passed in joint committee and shopping malls were removed from the list of places the health pass applies to. Yet, the bill is still to be subject to the Constitutional Council.
The latter is to take position for the health pass in shopping malls beyond a decreed threshold. Yet, the health pass cannot be applied in a shopping mall if it prevents access to first-necessity stores or public transit.
“Upon motivated decision of the State representative in the department, when their characteristics and seriousness of the contamination risks justify so, shopping malls and department stores, beyond a decreed threshold, and in conditions providing access to first-necessity goods and services, and if need be, to public transit”.
At the end of the Health Defense Council, government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced prefect will be asked to implement the health pass in shopping malls covering more than 20,000sqm in surface when the incidence rate in a department exceeds 200 cases for 100,000 inhabitants. Therefore, starting from Monday August 16, 2021, the health pass applies to over 126 shopping malls in France, Paris included although the incidence rate is below the threshold set by the government.
"In Paris, although the global incidence rate remains slightly below 200 cases for 100,000 inhabitants, it is widely above in age groups from 10 to 39 (343 in the 20-29 age group)", the prefecture explains, adding the measure has been made "for the sake of coherence and harmonization in the Parisian agglomeration" and "in partnership with prefects from Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne and Hauts-de-Seine".
Covid: shopping malls in Paris and Île-de-France requiring the health pass
Since Monday August 16, 2021, the access to shopping malls over 20,000sqm is subject to a valid health pass. Here are the shopping malls in Paris and Île-de-France it applies to. [Read more]
Elsewhere in France, the health pass is also mandatory from Monday in several shopping malls in Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Charente-Maritime, Corse-du-Sud, Gard, Haute-Garonne, Gironde, Hérault, Landes, Pyrénées-Orientales, Rhône, Haute-Savoie, Var and Vaucluse.
Covid: shopping malls in Paris and Île-de-France requiring the health pass
