French cinemas, museums and sports venues began asking visitors on Wednesday to furnish proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test as the country, which is in the throes of a fourth wave of infections, rolled out a controversial vaccine passport system.
The so-called “health pass” is required for all events or places with more than 50 people, before being extended to restaurants, cafes and shopping centres in August.
Prime Minister Jean Castex defended the strategy, noting that 96% of the 18,000 new cases reported on Wednesday — a surge of 140% in just a week — were people who had not been immunised against the virus. He stressed that the goal of the pass was to avoid a fourth lockdown.
