New legislation in France was approved over the weekend that will require nightclub attendees to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test upon entry.
The senate held a vote with 199 in favor of the legislation and 123 against. French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for the new law in an effort to increase the number of vaccinations across the country, falling in line with the United Kingdom’s new rules going into effect this September. Fellow European nations Austria, Greece, and Italy are expected to follow suit.
Nightclubs, cinemas, museums, and other places that allow more than 50 attendees at a time will now require “health passes,” which will document proof of full vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 tests – effective immediately. From August, transportation services, restaurants, and cafes will require health passes as well.
France’s new legislation comes with the hope of curbing a fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in the country and across the European continent, which has seen a recent rise in confirmed cases and new variants of the deadly virus. Last year, France was among the first to roll back social distancing requirements for events with less than 5,000 attendees.
