A respite until Monday. The text of the law definitively adopted by Parliament on Sunday, during a final vote in the National Assembly, will come into force on Monday morning. The principle is simple: whether French or foreign, athletes must present a vaccination pass to access stadiums and competitions in France. The hard line won out. The establishment of health bubbles for certain events, undoubtedly more flexible but more complicated to set up, has been swept away.
For this weekend, “tolerance” will therefore still be in order. Because, especially with the European Rugby Cup, concrete cases would have arisen. The Welsh from Cardiff, who go to Toulouse on Saturday, the Irish from Connacht who challenge the Stade Français at Porte d’Auteuil in Paris, or the English from Northampton and Exeter who respectively play once morest Racing 92 at Paris la Défense Arena, and in Montpellier on Sunday should have complied with the new rule in force.
On the other hand, still in rugby, the Six Nations Tournament with the arrivals of the Italians from February 6 and the Irish on February 12 at the Stade de France will be concerned. In football, the Champions League will be in the same situation with PSG-Real Madrid, from February 15.
The health pass control mission will fall to the clubs and federations. Athletes should be checked in the same way as spectators to enter stadiums.
This regime is likely to last for quite some time, at least until the presidential election (April 10 and 24). The protocol will remain in force until then, even if the health situation improves seriously by then in France, because the international situation must be taken into account.
