France on Wednesday begins implementing a new tightening of rules in the fight against Covid-19, meaning people aged 65 and over will lose the validity of their health pass unless they have had a third booster shot according to France24 News.
The health pass was introduced in the summer and makes full vaccination against Covid-19, a recent recovery or negative test obligatory for visiting any restaurant or cafe, inter-city train travel, and going to cultural venues like cinemas or museums.
Championed by President Emmanuel Macron as he eyes re-election in 2022, the health pass is widely seen as being a success, despite initial protests, by encouraging people who were hesitant to become vaccinated.
The government says some 400,000 people aged 65 and over who are eligible for the booster shot have yet to take it, which is 12 percent of those aged 80 and above and 10 percent of those aged 65 to 79.
According to Express-News, Experts believe it could become prevalent in Europe in the next few weeks, with early data suggesting it can be resistant to vaccines and is more transmissible than the Delta variant.
Ursula von der Leyen told the EU Parliament on Tuesday: “If you look at the time it takes for new cases to double in number, it seems to be doubling every two or three days. “By mid-January, we should expect Omicron to be the new dominant variant in Europe.”
