France’s vaccine passport gets mixed reaction from public

FRANCE’S controversial vaccine passport went into full effect yesterday, even as restaurant staff said they did not plan on enforcing the law amid a growing backlash.

Anyone looking to enter a bar, restau- rant or café or board a long-distance train or plane now has to scan a QR code showing proof of vaccination, a recent negative Covid-19 test, or a certificate confirming they have recovered from the disease within the last six months.

The law has applied to spaces with a capacity of more than 50 people since late July. Despite the threat of being fined, restaurant workers told The Daily

Telegraph they would not prioritise monitoring customers’ health.

“My job is to take care of clientele, not check their vaccination status,” said Smael Haddar, a server at the Royal Beaubourg brasserie, Paris.

“Some people showed me their health pass without me even asking because they felt it was important, but I’m not going to ask for it ... at least for the first few weeks. We need time to let people adjust,” Haddar added. Wassila Benbara, a nursing home worker, was one of the café’s first clients on Monday. “I’m prepared ... but it’s not like I have a choice,” Ms Benbara said.

While the 54-year-old said she felt a health pass mandate was the “best solution” to fight Covid-19, she worried the restrictions violated personal freedoms.

“It’s the fact we’re being forced to do it that irritates me,” Ms Benbara said. “It takes away our power to choose.”

Ms Benbara says she was amongst the more than 230,000 people who participated in a fourth round of anti-health pass protests over the weekend. More than 17,000 showed up in Paris alone, chanting: “The health pass means the death of freedoms!”

Supporters of the vaccine passport told The Telegraph: “You have all these people saying they want ‘liberty,’ but what about those of us who are already vaccinated and want to end the spread of this virus?” said Ambre Martinez, a 21-year-old student.