- Title: France extends mandatory health pass to restaurant, cultural venue workers
- Date: 30th August 2021
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (AUGUST 30, 2021) (REUTERS) CUSTOMERS QUEUING OUTSIDE "GALERIES LAFAYETTE" DEPARTMENT STORE SIGN NEAR ENTRANCE SHOWING HEALTH PASSES CUSTOMER ENTERING STORE (SOUNDBITE) (French) 27-YEAR-OLD TOURIST FROM BELGIUM, AMANDINE HENRION, SAYING: "We are supposed to have a choice, but in the end, we don't. There are restrictions on many things and employees will do it (get vaccinated) because they want to keep their jobs. With the COVID crisis, it is getting hard, so it's indirectly putting a knife to their throat, to the staff, forcing them to get vaccinated." HENRION ENTERING STORE PEOPLE OUTSIDE STORE VARIOUS OF NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL
- Embargoed: 13th September 2021 14:23
- Keywords: COVID-19 France coronavirus department store health pass restaurant staff vaccination
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Europe,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA004ESH2IPZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:France on Monday (August 30) started requiring employees in several sectors, including restaurants, department stores, cinemas and museums, to show a health pass or risk suspension.
The health pass, already required for members of the public to go to the movies, a restaurant, a gym or a museum, will now be mandatory for 1.8 million workers nationwide, the labour ministry said.
The pass brings proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test or recovery from the disease.
Parisian cafe manager Daniel Uzan said although his establishment is complying with the new rule, it comes at a cost to them, as employees without a health pass will have to be replaced by temporary workers.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, though, insisted that the health pass is "the best protection" for businesses during the health crisis.
"After an adjustment period, the health pass has not slowed down consumption, growth or investments in France," he told France Inter radio on Monday.
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets over the past weeks to protest against the pass, and business owners have also complained it was a burden, but the government says it is necessary to combat the pandemic. Opinion polls show a majority of people support the rules.
At the Galeries Lafayette department store, where employees will also have to present a health pass, customers, including tourists, are starting to get used to the use of the pass.
But Belgian tourist Amandine Henrion said the new rules are making life difficult for workers.
"It's indirectly putting a knife to their throat, to the staff, forcing them to get vaccinated," she said.
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