Europe shows signs of a slowdown in the rate of vaccination against COVID-19, and given the spread of the Delta variant throughout the continent, the leaders of nations announced measures for citizens to accept immunization to achieve increased rates of vaccinated .
Cash payments, phone data bonuses, free tours of soccer stadiums, free grilled meat, among other incentives, have been offered by officials in some nations to attract people to vaccination centers. reported AVN.
“Health Pass”
At the same time, other measures have been applied with greater severity. In the early hours of this Monday, the French Parliament approved a law that requires a “health pass” to enter restaurants, bars and travel on long-distance trains and planes, which will be required from August.
After four days and nights of parliamentary discussions, the French Senate adopted this Sunday the final form of the bill that will regulate the use of the health certificate to access a majority of the public and requires health personnel to be vaccinated. Since last Wednesday, the health certificate of vaccination – which certifies having overcome the disease in the last six months or a negative test of the previous 48 hours – was imposed by Executive Decree in the country and it was until after the dawn of Sunday that the Parliament endorsed the document.
“We will extend the health pass as much as possible to pressure as many of you as possible to get vaccinated,” French President Emmanel Macron said in mid-July when he announced the legislation.
He also said vaccination was required for healthcare workers starting Sept. 15 and hinted at the possibility of making the vaccine mandatory for everyone in the country if the epidemic worsens.
Greece and Great Britain
Meanwhile, Greece was ahead of France. After facing an increase in infections that threaten the revival of the tourism industry, in the middle of this month, excluding the unvaccinated from covered restaurants, bars, cafes and cinemas, he ordered mandatory vaccinations for health workers.
On July 19, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, announced that the population will need a vaccination passport to enter nightclubs in September. On this CNN, without revealing a source, said that a senior British Government official indicated that they are considering making the full vaccination test against COVID-19 mandatory for all events with more than 20 thousand attendees.
Italy and Germany
Meanwhile, in Italy, the government of that country ordered vaccines for health workers and pharmacies in April. Likewise, last Thursday it announced that it would also impose similar restrictions in closed places for residents without proof of immunity.
For their part, politicians in Germany have promised not to impose mandates for the use of masks and have not implemented the type of vaccination incentives promoted by neighboring countries, although in some states fully vaccinated people carry certificates to enter to bars or restaurants.
Unthinkable impact in the second year of the pandemic
The exclusion of the inhabitants and tourists of these countries in the areas of social life were unthinkable in the course of the first year of the pandemic, but now they are becoming commonplace for the countries of the bloc.
The authorities of the European Union promoted last Thursday that approximately 55% of all adults in the bloc were fully immunized. Which means that it will not reach its original target of 70% by the end of July.
Now, the spread of the Ccronavirus-Delta threatens to provoke another round of economic closures, while the anti-vaccines mobilize asking governments to eliminate the new rules.
In recent days, these measures have sparked protests and renewed the debate over whether the injection should be left to an individual choice or required by the state to preserve the collective good.
/ maye
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