The Senate brings its touch to the bill "
Monitoring and health security in the fight against covid-19
".
Studied Tuesday, July 19 in the Law Committee before its arrival in public session this Wednesday, the text was changed by the elected representatives of the upper house, on the proposal of Philippe Bas, the rapporteur, who called for "
trusting the French
" against to the epidemic.
First major change, a new article has come to reinforce the “
return to common law
”.
While the bill implicitly took note of the end of the exceptional regime for managing the health crisis defined by the latest texts, Philippe Bas introduced an amendment which “
formally repeals its devices
”.
And this, in order not to "
leave doubt about the sustainability of the special powers
" granted to the State during the pandemic.
In the event of a new health crisis, the government will have to go back to Parliament and cannot simply reactivate these systems.
Another contribution from the senators, if the government wanted to extend the existence of the Si-Dep and Contact Covid data files until the end of March 2023, the National Assembly has revised these ambitions downwards, bringing this date to the end of next January. .
Deeming this modification relevant, the Law Commission however pointed out the inadequacy of this new terminal with the European rules which extended the Covid certificate from the twenty-seven until June 2023. The elected officials therefore extended the period during which the “
legal basis
” of Si-dep will exist until June 2023, as well as the “
epidemiological monitoring and research on the virus
”, based on the data collected.
"
Any purpose enabling “contact-tracing” to be ensured, on the other hand, would be abolished, in order to retain only the legal basis strictly necessary to allow French people to travel while complying with the obligations set by the European Union
”, specifies the report.
Restoration of a form of border control, but limited
Deleted by the deputies in a twist, article 2 of the bill allowed the executive to restore a health pass at the borders, to deal with possible new variants from abroad, until March 2023. More nuanced, the senators judged that “
the maintenance of such a device was justified
”, but by restricting it “
strictly
”, the epidemic not being over.
Two changes have been made: firstly, the new text proposed by the commission proposes that the government can make travel to the Overseas Territories, from August 2022 to the end of January 2023, conditional on the presentation of a negative test, provided that the health systems of these territories are close to saturation.
If necessary, local elected officials must be concerned and they may also request the initiation of this measure.
At the same time, the senators restored the possibility for the executive to limit access to metropolitan territory from abroad, over the same period, but only in the event
of “the appearance and circulation of a new variant of covid -19 likely to constitute a serious health threat
” and for a month at most.
Here again, a negative test would be sufficient to enter France: "
Some variants presenting an immune escape from vaccines, this is the most reliable document from a health point of view
", justifies the report.
The Senate also changed the title of the text, renamed "
putting an end to the exceptional regimes created to fight against the epidemic linked to covid-19
".
The elected officials also adopted an amendment ending the vaccination obligation for professionals, including caregivers, "
as soon as the health situation or medical and scientific knowledge no longer justify it
".
People suspended since last fall, for failing to respect this imperative, "
will be immediately reinstated
".
The High Authority for Health (HAS) will have to be seized or may seize itself to draw this conclusion.
Changes against which the executive tried to protest, without success, while the National Academy of Medicine ruled on Tuesday that reintegrating unvaccinated caregivers would be "
a fault
".
Thus modified by the Law Commission, the text should not change profoundly in public session, in a room dominated by the right.
If adopted, the new version will have to be discussed in a joint joint committee by the elected representatives of the two chambers, hoping to find a compromise.
This is scheduled for July 26.
