According to the thousands of protests that took place on the streets of Paris, Montpellier and other French cities this week, their country has become “brutal” and their president is re-introducing “apartheid”.
Because of their outrage: Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that the Covid-19 vaccine be compulsory for all health professionals, before giving it to anyone else. French people need to prove that they have been vaccinated or that they have recently been tested negative for the virus to enter restaurants, restaurants, movie theaters, high-speed trains or retail outlets. In Autumn coronavirus tests you will no longer be free.
Less than a year before the presidential election, the march resumed its demonstration of yellow dress which rocked France in 2018 and 2019, when major protests were sparked by the outrage of motorists on fuel taxes that became the anti-government movement for several months.
Macron’s move comes at a time when European countries are struggling to adapt to the rapidly expanding Delta, which was first discovered in India and is now a common sight in many EU countries. With less than half of people fully vaccinated, governments are working hard to force their citizens to eradicate the disease and avoid new bans.
Macron is following in the footsteps of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who in April was the first in Europe to vaccinate medical workers after a bomb blast in hospitals and nursing homes. Greece and Latvia have followed suit this week, threatening to fire workers if they do not work.
Nearly 4,000 people staged protests in Athens on Wednesday, as well as in the UK, a petition banning compulsory vaccination for health and care workers has received more than 93,000.
4,000 people protested in Athens on Wednesday against Greece’s idea that health workers should be vaccinated in the wake of hospitals and care facilities © Angelos Tzortinis / AFP / Getty Images
The vaccine approved in Europe is not uncommon: 40% of countries have some form of recommended vaccine, in addition to anti-Hepatitis B, measles and pediatric meningitis, says Anna Odone, professor of health at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan.
The compulsory vaccine “should be used in case of an emergency and we are living in an emergency,” he said.
There is a direct link between hospitals, a resurgence in Europe, and whether people have been vaccinated or not. At 30 major hospitals in France, every patient is seriously ill had not been vaccinated, the government said this week. In Greece, the figure is 99%.
Although there were few demonstrations, data from France and Italy show that persistent governments are yielding results.
Ever since Italy handed down its verdict in April, Covid-19 cases, hospitalization and mortality among residents of low-income care facilities, so the cases are over. This reinforced what began when the country introduced a vaccine among the people in February.
In France, more than 3m vaccinations have been held since Macron spoke Monday, keeping them daily beyond history, according to the Doctolib website. About 60 percent of these were people under the age of 35 who were previously late for vaccination.
Vaccination delay has declined in Europe. In France, more than eight out of 10 adults said they had or received the vaccine, doubling in December, according to Odoxa, a researcher.
Three out of four vaccines have standardized care for caregivers and 61% approve of the use of “health passports”, according to a study published in Le Figaro. Only 20% of Italians oppose the official vaccine, one study said.
The reservation “shows that, among those who did not receive the vaccine, there were very few anti-vaxxers,” said Clément Beaune, France’s finance minister.
The fear of the fourth outbreak means that more people are willing to do something to prevent the virus, says Mircea Sofonea, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Montpellier.
“Fourth wave visit to hospitals can be delayed, it can be reduced, if we get 60 or 70% of people vaccinated by the end of the summer,” he said.
Yet, many are still skeptical. For Prof Adam Finn, who sits on the Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee in the UK government, the most successful vaccination programs “should not provide sticks or carrots” instead rely on clear communication.
“It has taken decades for you to build such trust,” he said. “By nature I work well, be careful not to interfere.”
Additional reports by Daniel Dombey, Eleni Varvitsioti and Guy Chazan
Countries that have made jabs legal
Turkmenistan on July 7 decided that every adult over the age of 18 should be vaccinated unless they had a medical reason.
Indonesia approved the vaccination of all officials in February, with Jakarta’s capital threatening a fine of Rp5m ($ 357) for refusing to do so.
Australia vaccinated in June for high-risk workers, starting in September
Italy enacted new laws on April 1 in which health workers could be transferred, demoted or suspended without pay if they refused the vaccine.
Latvia announced this week that it will issue a valid Covid-19 license for those working in health care, social work and education.
Greece has announced this week that vaccinations will be compulsory for workers in the immediate elderly, as well as for health workers by September 1.
UK issued a second vaccination order for all workers in care facilities registered with the Care Quality Commission, or they may lose their jobs. Discussions are planned for the growth of both the NHS and primary care management staff.
The Spanish state of Valencia is looking to follow the French example by asking people to test for the virus before going to restaurants, bars, hotels or nightclubs.
In Germany, the health minister said he was looking for people to pay for the coronavirus test, which is free.
