The vaccine against Covid-19 is not imposed in France. Vaccination is done on a voluntary basis and according to the strategy (priority audiences). According to a recent poll, the French would rather be in favor of the idea of a vaccination passport, or the obligation to be vaccinated to carry out certain activities.
The vaccination passport
The vaccination passport is an official document, which justifies that a person has received the anti-Covid-19 vaccine. The goal is to be able to escape certain restrictions on freedom, one of the fundamental principles of the French Republic, essential to the modernity and civility of the population. Thanks to Louis Pasteur, “ France is the cradle of vaccination”, A precious medical act to save millions of lives by preventing contagious diseases, especially in children. For the time being, the vaccine passport does not exist legally, but results from a bill tabled on December 21, 2020 in the National Assembly. Even if the vaccine is not made compulsory in France, it could become so to move around during a trip or even to carry out certain activities, such as visiting vulnerable people or taking public transport. To move freely and return to a “normal life”, Individuals may therefore need to be vaccinated. In France, the government would be rather reserved as to the introduction of a health passport, the debate of which has not yet taken place at the present time. In addition, the WHO (World Health Organization), is opposed to such a plan on a planetary scale “for the moment ”. However, according to a survey carried out by Ifop (French Institute of Public Opinion) for Lemon.fr and LeParisien, the majority of French people are in favor of compulsory vaccination in different situations.
Majority membership for certain activities
To collect the opinions of residents, a sample of 1,028 people filled out an online questionnaire from January 11 to 12, 2021. These people are at least 18 years old and live in mainland France. In detail, 62% of French people say they are in favor of compulsory vaccination to take the plane to go abroad and 60% to visit fragile people in nursing homes or hospitals. In addition, 52% are for a compulsory vaccination to take public transport. Also, 50% argue in favor of compulsory protection for students and staff in middle and high schools. Finally, for daily activities, half of people say they are in favor of the vaccination passport for spectators in cinemas or theaters as well as for company employees who practice their profession at their workplace. The only activity for which the French are unfavorable in the minority, ie 45%, is shopping. In addition, the intention to be vaccinated has changed since November 2020: 41% of people wanted to receive the vaccine, against 54% today.
