The magistrates validated the text, but expressed several reservations, in particular on the amounts of the fines.
- “We have entered a fourth wave,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Monday evening.
- The health pass will be compulsory from July 21 in places of leisure and culture, such as cinemas or theaters.
- At the beginning of August, it will also be compulsory to access trains, cafes, planes and restaurants.
The Council of State approves the bill aimed at extending the health pass. Their decision was made public on Monday July 19 during the day. If their opinion is favorable, the sages issue several reservations and specify in particular the purpose of this legislative text. According to them, the extension of the health pass “must be justified by the specific interest of the measure to limit the spread of the epidemic […] and not by an objective which would consist in encouraging the persons concerned to be vaccinated“, reports Release.
Shopping centers, fines and police checks: the points that block
Among the measures questioned by the magistrates of the Council of State, there is the obligation to present the health pass at the entrance to large shopping centers. According to them, the measure is “likely to concern in particular the acquisition of basic necessities, in particular food“, thus becoming a “a disproportionate attack on freedoms“According to government statements, the health pass may only be compulsory in shopping centers of more than 20,000 m2.
The sages approved mandatory ten-day isolation for people who tested positive for Covid-19, but called for a limitation of night-time screening times. The government said these checks would not take place between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. The Council of State considered that the fines provided for by the executive were “disproportionate“. In the event of non-presentation of the health pass, the fine will not be 9,000 euros but a maximum of 1,500 euros for the first breach. In the event that there are four fines within a month, the penalty would increase to one year in prison and a fine of €9,000.For legal entities, the fine could reach €7,500.
What are the next steps ?
Monday evening, the project was presented to the Council of Ministers. At its end, the government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, announced that there would be a break-in period of about a week, so “to support professionals” in the implementation of the health pass. The employees of the places concerned by the application of the health pass will also be able to benefit from a delay: they will be obliged to hold it from August 30. From Wednesday July 21, the text will be examined by the deputies in the National Assembly, before going to the Senate.
LIVE | Minutes of the Council of Ministers of July 19, 2021 by @GabrielAttalgovernment spokesperson.https://t.co/TW2j66QcvM
— Elysee (@Elysee) July 19, 2021
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