Explained: What changes with France’s Covid health pass on July 21
People going into church services, cinemas, swimming pools and other public places with over 50 people will need to show their Covid-19 status from tomorrow
You can use the phone application TousAntiCovid to show proof of your Covid-19 test by storing vaccination or test certificates on it
Screenshot / TousAntiCovid
The first stage of an expanded use of France’s Covid health pass (pass sanitaire) begins tomorrow (July 21), and means people will need to prove their Covid-19 status to enter certain public places gathering over 50 people.
The places covered by this change include (this list is not exhaustive):
- Cinemas
- Museums
- Theatres
- Theme parks
- Indoor sports facilities
- Public swimming pools
- Places of worship
- Conference halls
- Auditoriums
A health pass will also be required to enter campsites and holiday parks that have swimming pools or entertainment venues.
A full list can be found in article 1 of the official government decree published today (July 20).
Read more: Covid France: Masks not required in places where health pass is in use
Everyone wishing to enter one of the places covered by this new expansion will have to present a health pass (pass sanitaire), which means proof of their Covid-19 status.
This involves showing one of the following documents:
- A Covid-19 test (rapid antigen or PCR) showing a negative result and taken within the past 48 hours
- A Covid-19 vaccination certificate showing full vaccination
- A Covid-19 test (rapid antigen or PCR) showing a positive Covid-19 result, taken between 11 days and six months prior
These documents can be shown in paper format, digitally, or through the phone application TousAntiCovid.
A person is considered fully vaccinated in France one week after their final dose of a Covid vaccine.
For travel using the EU’s health pass system, a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their final dose.
Use of health pass to be extended further in August
The second stage of the French government’s planned expansion of the use of the health pass is set to be debated this week in parliament.
The aim is that from the beginning of August, the health pass will be a requirement to access restaurants, cafes, bars, long-distance transport services, etc.
Parliament will also debate whether the health pass should be required to access large shopping centres.
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