08.03.2021

France’s Efforts to Increase Vaccine Take-Up

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, tell us first, what is it that finally tipped your president over the edge and made him do this mandate and bring in these vaccine passes and make it such a clear-cut, mandatory decision and policy?

NATHALIE LOISEAU, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, very simply, the Delta variant. We don’t want to get back into lockdown. We don’t want to close shops and restaurants and bars and cinemas. Now that the vaccine is available for everyone starting at the age of 12, and there are plenty of vaccines throughout our country, plenty of places where you can get your jab, the idea is to give an incentive to people to get vaccinated. Therefore, there is this new health pass, which is, you can enter a restaurant or a bar if you are vaccinated or if you tested negative or if you already had COVID and recovered. So you you’re not forced to vaccinate.

AMANPOUR: OK.

LOISEAU: But you (AUDIO GAP) prove that you don’t — you’re not contagious if you go into a public place.

About This Episode EXPAND

French member of European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau discusses her country’s current approach to the pandemic. New York Times columnist Ezra Klein discusses vaccine hesitancy. CIDRAP director Michael Osterholm discusses the science behind the Delta variant. CNN correspondent Selina Wang gives an update from the Olympics.

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