White smoke at the Luxembourg Palace. Deputies and senators reached an agreement in principle on Sunday on the controversial bill which extends the health pass and imposes the vaccination obligation on caregivers, paving the way for its final adoption in the evening, sources have learned. parliamentarians.
The Senate, dominated by the right-wing opposition, voted for the first time in the night from Saturday to Sunday, by 199 votes against 123, the bill which provides for the vaccination obligation for caregivers and the controversial extension of the pass sanitary. But with important modifications compared to the text approved by the National Assembly, and which are not to the liking of the government. After nearly three hours of meeting, parliamentarians agreed to a compromise. Thus beyond November 15, the pass system can only continue with a new vote by Parliament. The controls will be the responsibility of the administrative police and not the criminal law at first, detailed parliamentary sources.
No dismissal
In addition, as the senators wished, it is the health insurance which will first control the compulsory isolation for those infected by the Covid, before an intervention of the police if necessary. Finally, there will be no dismissal for people who do not respect the vaccination obligation because of their profession, but a suspension of wages – this point had been hotly discussed in both chambers.
The extended pass must be applied in early August. Time is running out in the face of an unprecedented outbreak of contamination linked to the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19, which is very contagious. Once adopted, the text will still have to pass the filter of the Constitutional Council, before its promulgation. An additional step, to which Prime Minister Jean Castex himself chose to submit in order to protect himself from accusations of attacks on public freedoms.