France approves the use of Covid-19 'health pass' until July 2022

France is to keep using the so-called health pass to fight the coronavirus pandemic until the end of July 2022.

The pass shows proof of vaccination against Covid-19, recovery from an infection or a negative test for the coronavirus.

After fierce opposition from the Senate, the French parliament passed a corresponding law on Friday with a vote in the National Assembly.

Until now, the legal basis for the use of the health certificate was only valid until mid-November.

With the law, the phase-out of the health state of emergency will be extended until the end of July. This allows the government to continue to impose restrictions on social life.

The extension of the measures had led to a dispute between and within the chambers of parliament.

The Senate, as the upper house of parliament, wanted to approve an extension only until the end of February. However, the National Assembly, which is more liberal, had the final say.

Bigger fines

The law also increases the fines for falsifying health passes, and allows schools to obtain information about the vaccination status of their students.

The broadcaster France Info reported that far-left and conservative parties announced their intention to have the text of the law examined under constitutional law.

The health pass has been in use in France since the beginning of June. Due to the sharp rise in the number of infections, the country extended its use to numerous places such as restaurants, long-distance trains, cultural and sports venues during the summer.

In the latest data, the number of coronavirus infections per 100,000 people in France in one week was around 54.