Sightseers will need a special COVID pass to visit the Eiffel Tower or go to museums and cinemas in France in a desperate move by its government to curb the spread of the Delta variant.

People must show they are either fully vaccinated, have a negative test or prove they have recently recovered from COVID-19 to get a pass.

Following a government decree, the requirement went into effect on Wednesday at cultural and tourist sites.

President Emmanuel Macron announced the rollout last week in a bid to boost vaccinations.

The health pass was previously only required for large-scale festivals or nightclubs, but will also be needed from the start
of August to enter restaurants and bars and for long-distance train and plane journeys.

French MPs will debate on the bill on Wednesday, which has sparked resistance from many people, with anti-vaccine protesters planning a demonstration later on.

The new measure comes a day after the country recorded 18,181 new infections in 24 hours, more than double the figure from just a week ago.

France last recorded more than 18,000 daily infections on 13 May, when the country was under a nighttime curfew and non-essential shops, bars and restaurants were closed.

Some regions are now re-imposing virus restrictions amid the surge in cases, due to the Delta variant first identified in India.

It comes after holidaymakers and industry groups hit out at the late decision to make Britons quarantine for 10 days when they return to the UK from France.

UK residents who have had two COVID jabs no longer have to isolate after returning to England from amber list countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece – and France was meant to be on that list.

But last week the UK government said France would be excluded while it looks at latest data on rising cases of the Beta variant in the country.

It means travellers must continue to quarantine for 10 days.

Latest figures show that around 37.8 million people in France have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 30.7 million are fully vaccinated.

Its government estimates it will reach its target of 40 million first doses by the end of July – a month earlier than its initial schedule.

Related posts:

‘Coronavirus could not stop me’: Millions of Indians travel to celebrate religious festival Six Palestinians killed by Israeli army in West Bank amid protests over Gaza violence Grieving father says children killed ‘without warning’ after Israeli strike hits house in Gaza Three bodies found and five more people feared dead as helicopter crashes into Russian lake ‘What should I be scared of?’: Kabul residents remain defiant as Taliban approaches city Long queues for vaccines in Ireland as 12 to 15-year-olds able to get coronavirus jab Afghanistan must not become ‘breeding ground for terror’ once again , PM says North Korea fires two ballistic missiles – days after testing ‘weapon of great significance’ Doping watchdog to review cannabis ban after top US athlete forced to miss Tokyo Olympics ‘We have lost so many lives’: At least 60 dead after petrol tanker explodes in Haiti US warns Russia could double troop numbers on Ukraine border at short notice and launch attack More than 1.2 million people died from drug-resistant infections in 2019, study says