What changes to the French health pass come into force today?
Covid booster doses are now integrated as an obligatory element of the pass for all adults in France
From January 15, booster doses will gradually become a compulsory part of the health passes of all adults in France
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From today, any adult who had their second vaccine more than seven months before must have also received their booster to ensure their Covid health pass remains valid.
Read more: Up to 800,000 French health passes could be deactivated on Saturday
Adults are eligible to receive their booster from three months after their second vaccine dose, and have four additional months in which to go for this third dose.
Read our article here on working out if your vaccine certificate will stop being valid as part of the health pass scheme: How to work out if your French health pass will expire on Saturday.
On February 15, the deadline for receiving a booster will shorten to four months after the second dose (allowing a month’s flexibility to get the extra vaccine).
Those who were initially given the single-dose Janssen jab become eligible for a second dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna one month after their first vaccination, and are then given an additional month in which to receive the booster before their health pass is deactivated.
Booster doses were already incorporated as an obligatory part of the health pass for over-65s on December 15.
Vaccine passes
Today is also the date the government had first planned to make its vaccine pass bill law.
However, several delays caused by debates in parliament mean that vaccine passes likely will not be rolled out until later next week at earliest.
Read more:Why the Covid vaccine pass bill may be delayed (again) in France?
The pass has now been approved by both houses of France's parliament, meaning it is almost inevitable it will be introduced, although slight modifications to the details may still be made.
When it comes in, it will mean that negative Covid tests will no longer be sufficient to enter the majority of public places, such as cafés, restaurants, cinemas and museums.
Read more: 100,000 protest across France against plans for vaccine pass
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