The Council of State cautious about the vaccination pass, the government wants fines for employers reluctant to telework, self-tests soon on sale in supermarkets ...
Le Figaro
takes stock this Tuesday, December 28 on the latest information related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read also Celebrating New Years Eve among Covid patients, is it a dangerous idea?
242 deaths in 24 hours, 17,405 hospitalized patients
The epidemic continues to worsen in France, where 242 people have died from Covid in the past 24 hours.
17,405 patients are hospitalized, including 2110 since the day before, indicates Public Health France.
3,416 patients are being treated in critical care services - among them, 417 arrived on Tuesday.
To read also Covid-19: "French cheated", "crazy policy", "half-measures" ... The oppositions wind up against the executive
Vaccination pass: the Council of State cautious, the bill arrives in committee
The Council of State is cautious about the "
necessity and proportionality
" of the vaccination pass, while the bill transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass arrives Wednesday in committee at the National Assembly. This text will be examined by the Laws Commission at the National Assembly from the afternoon, after a hearing at 2:30 p.m. with Minister of Health Olivier Véran. The text will then be discussed in the Senate Chamber from January 5 and its entry into force is scheduled for January 15.
In its opinion delivered on Monday, the Council of State noted that the vaccination pass "
is likely to seriously undermine freedoms
" and "
can significantly limit the freedom to come and go and
is likely to restrict freedom to come together and the right to collective expression of ideas and opinions
”.
To limit this “
violation of rights and freedoms
”, he suggested that “
the certificate of recovery
” of Covid-19 could be considered “
as a substitute for the proof of vaccination status
”, “
under defined conditions
”.
Read also "It's blackmail": the vaccine pass pushes the unvaccinated to their limits
Telework: the government wants fines for recalcitrant employers
New turn of the screw on teleworking: faced with the surge in Covid cases, the government wishes to impose administrative fines on companies reluctant to its implementation, an initiative freshly welcomed by employers.
The Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne announced it on Tuesday during a videoconference with the social partners: she wishes to "
propose an amendment to the bill (strengthening the tools for managing the health crisis, Editor's note) to set up more dissuasive and faster sanctions (of an administrative nature)
”.
»SEE ALSO - Teleworking will be«
compulsory
»3 to 4 days a week from the start of the new school year
Self-tests soon on sale in supermarkets
Faced with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the government has decided: pharmacies will lose the monopoly on the sale of self-tests, a decision demanded for months by supermarkets, which arouses old rivalries with pharmacists.
This authorization is temporary: the order published Tuesday in the Official Journal specifies that the sale outside pharmacies is authorized "
exceptionally and until January 31, 2022
".
It will be "
only in supermarkets
", then specified the Ministry of Health to AFP.
The government considered that faced with "
a very strong increase in the incidence rate
" and a demand for tests "
unprecedented since the start of the health crisis, it is necessary to diversify the supply and sales circuits of self-tests
”, according to the text of the decree.
The self-tests should arrive within ten days on the shelves of supermarkets, and before for some.
These tests currently cost around 4 to 5 euros per unit in pharmacies.
Leclerc, Système U and Carrefour haven't announced a selling price, but they say they will sell at cost.
Read also PCR tests, family hesitations and isolation: how the Covid got the better of Christmas
Blanquer discusses a new protocol to return to class after a positive case
Students in elementary school classes where a positive case of Covid has been identified may soon have to present at least two negative tests several days apart, against one currently, to return to school, the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer.
"SEE ALSO - Covid-19: the government plans to request two or three negative tests before the return of a contact case student to school
The start of the school year will take place as planned on January 3, but the screening for Covid-19 will be extended in schools, said Monday Jean Castex, maintaining the government line to close establishments only as a "
last resort
".
Read also Covid-19: Emmanuel Macron plays the balancing act against the breaking Omicron
Darmanin asks the prefects to "
dissuade
" the gatherings for New Year's Eve
The Minister of the Interior on Tuesday asked the prefects to take measures to “
dissuade gatherings
” and impose the wearing of masks in the city center, especially for New Year's Eve, in the face of the meteoric rise of the Omicron variant in France.
"
Do not hesitate, in view of local circumstances, to prohibit activities which do not seem to you to meet the conditions allowing the respect of barrier gestures or social distancing
", indicated Gérald Darmanin in a telegram to the prefects consulted by the AFP.
»SEE ALSO - Covid-19: no curfew on New Year's Eve
Castex announces monthly premium of 100 euros for nurses in critical care services
Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Tuesday a monthly premium of 100 euros net for nurses in critical care and resuscitation services from January 2022, very heavily used by the Covid-19 crisis.
About 24,000 people are affected by this salary increase according to the head of government who spoke at the end of a visit, with the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, of an intensive care unit of the Inter-municipal hospital center of Créteil.
Read alsoCovid-19: is it true that 63% of deaths in hospitals relate to vaccinated people?
WHO predicts "
a large number of hospitalizations
"
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant will cause "
a large number of hospitalizations
" of Covid-19 patients, even if it turned out to be slightly less dangerous than its predecessor, the European branch of the World Organization warned on Tuesday. health (WHO).
Read alsoCovid-19: does the Omicron variant justify wearing the mask outdoors?
Belgium: justice suspends the closure of theaters
Belgian justice on Tuesday suspended the closure of theaters and performance halls announced last week in Belgium by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The authorities have not shown "
how theaters in the cultural sector are particularly dangerous places for the health and life of people as they promote the spread of the coronavirus, to the point that it is necessary to 'order its closure
,' said the Council of State, the highest Belgian administrative court.
Read also Could the new Novavax vaccine convince the last recalcitrant?
The dominant Omicron variant in the Netherlands
The Omicron variant has become dominant in the Netherlands, authorities said, warning of an increase in hospital admissions.
Despite a drop in contaminations with 9,213 positive cases on Tuesday, the great contagiousness of the Omicron variant "
will lead to new contaminations in the coming days
", announced the national institute of public health.
"SEE ALSO - Covid-19:"
Omicron is less sensitive to the vaccine than the Delta variant
", according to Olivier Véran
Finland blocks entry of unvaccinated foreign travelers
Foreign travelers not vaccinated against Covid-19, even with a negative test, will no longer be able to enter Finland as of Tuesday, the government announced to counter the Omicron wave.
Only foreign travelers can enter with a negative Covid-19 test and can prove a complete vaccination or a past infection, announced the Ministry of the Interior after a government meeting.
A spokesperson for the border guards confirmed to AFP that unvaccinated foreigners would be turned away, unless they are on a list of exceptions (residents in Finland, essential workers, diplomats, etc.)
Read alsoFake health passes: how hackers infiltrate health services
New restrictions in China ...
China confined on Tuesday several tens of thousands of additional people, at a time when the country is facing a record number of Covid-19 contaminations within 40 days of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The city of Xi'an (north), famous for the underground army of the first emperor of China, was subject to a sixth day of strict quarantine on Tuesday.
300 kilometers away, tens of thousands of residents of a district in Yan'an have in turn been ordered to stay at home.
"SEE ALSO - China:"
total
" disinfection
in the confined city of Xi'an
... and in Germany
The restrictions announced on December 21 in Germany come into effect on Tuesday, with in particular the limitation of contact, even between vaccinated people, to a maximum of ten guests for the New Year's Eve celebrations. For the unvaccinated, the limit falls to two maximum guests, then specified the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Read alsoA negative test in addition to the vaccination pass: the government plans to imitate the German rule "2G +"
In Mexico, a cruise ship prevented from disembarking
Authorities in the state of Jalisco, western Mexico, on Monday refused to disembark a cruise ship in Puerto Vallarta, one of the country's most popular destinations, due to 69 cases of Covid- 19 confirmed among the crew.
This is the second cruise ship prevented from disembarking in four days.
»SEE ALSO - Despite the cases of Covid-19, cruise ships fill up with tourists in Florida
US cuts isolation time for infected people
The United States has halved the length of quarantine for people infected with Covid-19 to five days, provided they are asymptomatic.
The quarantine period for unvaccinated contact cases is reduced from 14 to 5 days, with the advice also to wear a mask rigorously within the following five days.
Fully vaccinated contact cases do not need to self-isolate.
Read alsoCovid-19: is it true that 63% of deaths in hospitals relate to vaccinated people?
Suspension of leave in hospitals in Qatar
Qatar's main public hospital group, which operates twelve establishments across the country, has suspended leave for all its medical and administrative staff working with Covid-19 patients, as infections are on the rise in Gulf countries.
»SEE ALSO - Covid-19: in London, the lack of staff and the severity of admissions put pressure on hospitals
More than 5.4 million deaths worldwide
The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 5,404,577 people worldwide since the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP.
In absolute terms, the United States is the most bereaved country with 818,371 dead, followed by Brazil (618,534), India (480,290) and Russia (306,090).
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that officially recorded.