As France is faced with the fourth coronavirus epidemic wave – earlier than expected – the health pass is extended to many public places. A decision not delighting all the French who see in it measures curbing freedom. Therefore, for several weekends already, anti-health pass protestations have been demonstrating in France.
During a Q&A on social networks, President Emmanuel Macron directly addressed the polemic increasing about the implementation of the health pass. While some French are worried about a new lockdown, the Head of State claims the health pass is indeed an alternative to the shutting down of non-necessary stores and travel restrictions. “If we had not the health pass, we would have to close again, that is to say, to place the constraint on everyone. With the health pass, it is only placed on those who are not vaccinated yet, asking them to get tested to protect the others”, he said in a video released on Tiktok.
“A simple example I can give you is that today, I am in the Var department, the incidence rate reaches 455. It means, there are 455 positive cases in 100,000 inhabitants. With this data, remember, this past fall-winter, we instated curfew, closed restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and theaters. And today, we can let them open thanks to the health pass”.
He concludes: “We are lucky our country is strong enough to compensate those who have constraints, accompany citizens and entrepreneurs, and we have been specifically able to buy doses where in other countries, such as Brazil and elsewhere, people are protesting to get help and vaccines. So, these vaccines we bought, we have, let us use them to protect us, and protect the others”.
