France says no New Year's curfew, but tightened entry requirements in mid-January

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - France will not impose any curfews on New Year’s Eve, allowing people to celebrate freely, but will tighten restrictions on unvaccinated people entering public places starting in mid-January, the country’s premier announced on Monday.

In a national address, following an emergency health defense meeting two days after a record 100,000 cases were reported, Jean Castex announced a series of measures to contain the upsurge of Covid-19 and the omicron variant.

The top measures include the vaccine pass bill which was approved by the Cabinet on Monday. The bill intended to "put strain on the unvaccinated” will replace the current health pass for entry into restaurants, cafes, cultural places, movie theaters, museums, etc. as of Jan 15.

If the bill is approved by parliament, entry in places where the pass is required will be permitted only upon presenting proof of vaccination, with a negative test result no longer accepted, Castex said. There are approximately 5 million unvaccinated people who are opposed to getting the COVID-19 jab.

Other restrictions that will come in force next Monday include limitations on large gatherings, for outdoors set at 5,000 people and indoors up to 2,000 people. In addition, consumption of drinks and food in public transport, movie salons, and sports facilities will be prohibited.

Castex appealed to people to get the booster shot to prevent admissions to hospitals. In order to administer maximum shots, the time gap for the third dose – currently four months – was also reduced to three months after the second injection.

Health Minister Olivier Veran also warned that daily cases are set to exceed 250,000 by the beginning of January.