France's Macron orders all health workers to get vaccinated
French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered all French health care workers to get virus vaccines by Sept. 15 and urged all of his compatriots to get vaccinated as soon as possible
PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday ordered all French health care workers to get virus vaccine shots by Sept. 15 and urged all of his compatriots to get vaccinated as soon as possible, to fight resurgent infections that are threatening the country's economic recovery.
In a televised address, Macron also mandated special COVID-19 passes for anyone who wants to go to a restaurant, shopping mall or several other public places. To get a pass, people must be fully vaccinated, have a fresh negative virus test or have proof they recently recovered from the virus.
The delta variant is driving France’s virus infections back up again, just as the country kicked off summer vacation season after a long-awaited reopening process. Some 40% of France's population is fully vaccinated but there are pockets of vaccine skepticism.
“The country is facing a strong resumption of the epidemic touching all our territory," Macron said, speaking against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. He stopped short of any new lockdown-like measures, saying “we have to live with the virus."
He said his centrist French government would declare a medical state of emergency again starting Tuesday, which allows more freedom to impose virus restrictions.
Most European governments have shied away from mandating vaccinations. But after tens of thousands of people died in French nursing homes with the virus, Macron said vaccination is essential for all health care workers, nursing home workers, and workers or volunteers who care for the elderly or ailing at home. Those who don't get vaccinated by Sept. 15 will face potential sanctions or fines, he said.
In France, vaccines are widely available for anyone 12 and over. But interested ebbed in recent weeks because of vaccine hesitancy, a sense that the virus is no longer a threat, and because some people decided to put off their shots until after summer vacation. Demand started rising again over the weekend as people braced for Macron's announcements.
Macron also announced that France will start charging money for some virus tests, which up to now have been free for everyone.
Meanwhile, French restaurants and bars are thriving again, the Tour de France cycling race is drawing tightly packed crowds across the country, and Hollywood stars are posing arm-in-arm and mask-free on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Cheek kisses are making a comeback.
As the La Bellevilloise nightclub reopened Friday in eastern Paris, the owner braced for the possibility that the party could be short-lived. But clubgoers were exhilarated at rediscovering the dance scene.
Parisian Laurent Queige called it “a liberation, an immense happiness.” Clubgoer Sophie Anne Descoubès said she was impressed by how carefully the club checked her QR code showing she’d been either fully vaccinated or freshly tested, saying, “I don’t have any apprehension, just a great joy and the desire to stomp.”
France’s virus infections started rising again two weeks ago, and health service SOS Medecins has registered a slight rise in demand for emergency virus treatment. The number of people in French hospitals and intensive care units has been declining for weeks, but doctors predict it too will rise when the increase in delta variant infections hits vulnerable populations, as it has already in Britain, Russia and Spain.
Meanwhile, Macron also met with car industry figures Monday as he tries to combine his virus warnings with a message of hope for one of the world’s biggest economies. New infections are threatening France’s all-important tourism industry and Macron’s ambitious economic recovery plan — just nine months before France's next presidential election in which he is expected to run.
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Nicole Winfield in Rome, Frank Jordans in Berlin, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report.
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