PARIS (AP) – Thousands marched in cities across France on Saturday to protest the COVID-19 health pass that is now needed to access restaurants and cafes, cultural venues, sports centers and long-distance travel.
For the sixth consecutive Saturday, opponents denounced what they see as a restriction on their freedom. Many criticized the measure, claiming that the French government implicitly made vaccines mandatory.
In Paris, four demonstrations were organized by different groups and more than 200 protests were held in other places in French cities and towns. More than 200,000 protesters attended last week.
The permit shows that people are completely vaccinated, that they have had a recent negative test, or that they have demonstrated a recent recovery from COVID-19. The law authorizing it also required vaccinations for French health workers before 15 September.
Despite the protests, polls have shown that most French people support the health permit. Millions of people have received their first vaccine since French President Emmanuel Macron announced the measure on July 12.
Since last month, France has recorded a high number of infections, about 22,000 every day, a figure that has remained stable over the past week.
More than 47 million people in France, or 70.2% of the population, have received at least one vaccine and more than 40.5 million, or 60.5%, are completely vaccinated.
___
Follow all AP stories about the global pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.