Announcing the opening of the third shot for people over the age of 50 from the beginning of December, Macron also said that from mid-December for people over the age of 65 to re-verify their health passes. Proof of third shot will be required for this.
People over the age of 65 are able to request a third dose in France from 1 September.
The health pass has been an essential tool for the French government to increase vaccination rates, ban entry to public transport and a variety of public and private places without proof of full vaccination.
Masks will remain mandatory in schools and are currently required indoors and on public transport.
“The fifth wave has begun in Europe, with the UK and Germany now reporting 30,000 new Covid-19 cases daily,” Macron said, citing the WHO. “We haven’t finished with the pandemic,” he said.
Europe’s fifth wave
The continent’s Covid-19 fortunes have changed dramatically in recent months. By the end of the summer, many countries had lifted tighter restrictions, especially after moving ahead with vaccination programs in the west of the bloc and a drop in cases.
Now, as other parts of the world reopen, Europe may again face a winter of fresh closures. The Danish government has proposed reintroducing a digital “corona pass”, according to Reuters, and Austria this week banned unvaccinated people from restaurants and hotels. Iceland has also reimposed the rules of mask and social distancing.
In France, Macron shot down any hope that Covid-19 health rules could be relaxed in the near term, “even though I know how difficult it is,” he said.
He called for “responsibility” to the 6 million French people who have not yet received a single dose of the vaccine, adding that “we have to live with the virus until the global population is fully immunised.” ”
He said France was committed to “international solidarity” on vaccine provision.
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