France Plans To Extend COVID-19 Emergency Until July 2022 - Government

The health emergency, designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease in France, might be extended until July 31, 2022, Government Spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2021) The health emergency, designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease in France, might be extended until July 31, 2022, Government Spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.

The state of health emergency, which was due to end on November 15, gives the authorities statutory power to impose or extend certain restrictions, including a system of health passes used to gain access to various public venues in case of a surge in infections.

"Since June, we have been in a transitional period of recovery from the crisis entailing a set of restrictive measures that we can enable to protect the French.

The text of the bill that we studied this morning suggests the extension of restrictions until July 31, 2022," Attal told a briefing after a cabinet meeting, adding that "this epidemic has taught us not to rule out any scenarios."

The preventive measures can include a curfew in addition to the requirement of acquiring health passes, he added.

Since August 9, passes have become obligatory in France for attending such public spaces as restaurants, bars, shopping centers, airplanes, and long-distance trains. They contain information about COVID-19 vaccinations, tests, and recoveries of their carriers.