Covid-19: everything you need to know about the Health Pass

At the beginning of this summer, to deal with the resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic, the French government decided to extend the conditions of application of the " health pass ", a system originally intended to attend events of more than 1,000 people and to travel, to many places in everyday life. Will your customers still be able to make their trip to France? Is this a reason to cancel everything? Ezus takes stock for you.

‍

By the way, what is the health pass?

‍

This is a document that proves that you are not infected with Covid-19 (or that you are immune). Three situations are possible.

1/ Your customers are vaccinated :

This is the Holy Grail 😎. But this vaccination certificate is valid if your customers have received the 2 doses of AztraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer or the single dose of Jansen .

Please note : in France , since July 21, vaccination is considered complete 7 days after receiving the 2nd dose (compared to 15 days until now) for AztraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer. The deadline is 28 days after the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen injection.

For travel outside France , however , the 14-day period is maintained (for vaccination to be considered complete).

2/ Your customers have a negative test:

They can then apply for the health pass, but remind them that the test must be less than 48 hours old for access to cultural or leisure venues and 72 hours maximum for health checks at the borders . This test can take the form of an RT-PCR or antigen test.

3/ Your customers are cured of covid:

They must use the recovery certificate issued following a positive RT-PCR test. Your customers must have been infected more than 11 days and less than 6 months ago.

‍

⚠️Important :

Whether they are vaccinated, recovered from covid or negative, advise your customers to have an identity document (identity card, passport, driving license) to present with the health pass if asked.

‍

🌟Please note:

Self- tests are not accepted as part of the health pass.

‍

Where and when to present the health pass?

‍

Since 07/21/2021

Among the leisure and cultural venues bringing together more than 50 people concerned by this extension of the health pass, we can mention some perhaps planned in your clients' trips:

• Castles 🏰, amusement parks and other zoological parks . Many of them, such as Beauval Zoo, Puy du Fou amusement park, Parc Astérix or the Eiffel Tower, offer antigen tests at the entrance to their establishments to those without a health pass. The tests are free for French tourists, and chargeable for foreign tourists. Advise your customers or check for them that the sites they plan to visit remain open. Indeed, following recent announcements made by the French government, some have decided to close for the rest of the summer season, such as the Montbazon fortress
  .
• Places of worship if concerts or shows are organized there, which is often the case in the summer. However, do all churches have the human resources to check the health pass during a simple cultural visit of a few minutes?
  

• Museums and temporary exhibition halls
  🖼️
• Festivals (seated or standing) such as those in Avignon, Marciac or the Arles photographic meetings. Here too, antigen tests can be offered nearby
  .
• Funfairs 🎡 with more than 30 stands or attractions for some of your customers who would like to enjoy fun times with their children
  .

From early August 2021

• On planes ✈️. If you have booked flights for your customers with Air France , please note that since mid-July, the airline has been offering the "Ready to Fly" service free of charge in order to limit waiting times at the airport.  A few days before their departure, customers are invited by email to send Air France the documents relating to the health pass. If they are correct, a confirmation message is sent to your customers. Boarding passes will bear the "Ready to Fly" mark. If the file is incomplete, Air France will invite the customer to send them the missing document(s) or to present them at the airport on the day of departure. This system is currently valid for Corsica , Overseas, Greece, Dakar and Bamako . It should be extended to other lines in the coming weeks.

The Corsair company has also been offering a similar service for a few days for its flights to the Antilles .

• On trains 🚂. Your customers must also have their health pass for travel on TGV, Intercités, international long-distance trains and night trains. Daily transport such as the metro, TER or RER are not affected. The SNCF is considering integrating the health pass when purchasing a ticket online, but nothing has been validated for the moment
  .
• In restaurants and cafes : whether indoors or on the terrace. The date of August 1st is often announced, but not confirmed.

‍

Who is affected by the health pass?

The
health pass applies to people aged 18 and over. Adolescents aged 12 to 17 will have to present this precious sesame from September 30. This delay is explained by the opening of this age group to vaccination in June. If some of your customers want to go on a trip during the All Saints' Day holidays with their children, suggest that they take advantage of this period to get them vaccinated.

What about children under 12 🧒? They are exempt from the health pass. They also do not need to take any test in France.

How to get the health pass?                                  

1/ If your customers are vaccinated

• in digital format : your customers can go to the patient portal of the Health Insurance website https://attestation-vaccin.ameli.fr/ then go to FranceConnect using their tax number, their Ameli identifiers for example. The proof must be taken in photo or scanned. It is possible to insert this proof in the “Carnet” of the TousAntiCovid mobile application . downloadable for free on AppStore or Google Play Store.  

• in paper format : as in the digital version, the certificate includes a QR Code. The document is given when the patient has received the required dose(s). Your client can present this document at the entrance to one of the places covered by the health pass
  .

🌟 Please note : if one of your customers cannot find their certificate, don't panic: tell them to contact their doctor, for example, or another healthcare professional. They will be able to find the document for them and print it out  
.

2/ If your customers test negative or have recovered from Covid-19

• in digital format : the process is the same, that is to say, you must connect to the SI-DEP portal https://sidep.gouv.fr   via the link received by email or SMS when you know the result or by identifying yourself with FranceConnect https://franceconnect.gouv.fr/ . Once this document has been retrieved, it can be downloaded into the TousAntiCovid application .  

• in paper format: your customers can use the document, given to a pharmacy or laboratory for example, when the test result is known
  .

🌟 Please note : if one of your customers was infected in April 2021 or before, they must contact the laboratory where the test was carried out, to obtain the result this time with the QR code.

Our advice: tell your customers to keep a copy of their pass in paper format because the smartphone may encounter a technical problem when they are asked to present the certificate.

‍

And the French abroad?

‍

If you have French “ expatriate ” clients who have booked a trip to France with you or who are considering doing so, there are several scenarios:

AstraZeneca's Covishield is recognized by the health pass

On the weekend of July 17 and 18, France recognized the Covishield vaccine, manufactured by AstraZeneca mainly in India, as being the "equivalent" of its version manufactured in Europe, Vaxzevria . Many French people living abroad, particularly in Africa, are in fact vaccinated through the Covishield validated by the WHO but not by the European Medicines Agency.

French people vaccinated in the European Union

They can come to France provided that the vaccine is approved by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Jansen) and that the QR code is recognized by the health pass in France.

French people who have received a first injection of a vaccine approved in the European Union and who come to receive a second dose during a stay in France can receive the health pass.

The French vaccinated but with a vaccine not recognized in France

Those vaccinated with Sputnik, Novavax or Sinopharm are not currently considered vaccinated . These people will therefore have to present a negative test and quarantine themselves upon arrival in France (7 to 10 days depending on the country they come from).

Same consequence to date for people vaccinated outside the European Union with a vaccine that has been approved but with a QR code that is not compatible in France
.

And in Europe, how is it going?

‍

Other European Union countries than France are implementing a reinforced health pass

Denmark and Austria are among the first countries to require since the spring the presentation of a health pass (known as a Coronapas in Denmark) to access places of leisure, culture, restaurants, hotels or other places of daily life such as hair salons .

Since mid-July, in Greece you have to prove that you are vaccinated to eat in restaurants or drink in cafes.

In Portugal , in the municipalities most affected by the resurgence of the pandemic, it is mandatory to present the vaccination certificate or a negative test to access restaurants on Fridays from 7 p.m., weekends and public holidays.

Finally, in Italy from August 6, a health pass, called a “green pass” will be required to access certain closed places such as bars, restaurants and museums.

‍

What is the European health pass and how to obtain it?

‍

Like the French health pass, the European health pass, also called the “EU digital Covid certificate”, includes the same proof and conditions of non-contamination or immunization: vaccination, negative test or recovery .

This certificate is recognised in all member countries of the European Union and six other countries (Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Switzerland) .

Your customers can obtain this document in the same way they obtained proof of their eligibility for the French health pass. By going to the Health Insurance online service to retrieve the vaccination certificate; by connecting to the sidep.gouv.fr platform to retrieve the negative or positive test. They can also request this document from a healthcare professional.

Since July 1, 2021, the QR Code on the French "health pass" can be read directly in the TousAntiCovid application. A paper version with this same QR Code can be shown to be scanned.

Despite this common certificate, it is advisable to check the entry rules which remain specific to each country by going to the interactive map of the European Union https://reopen.europa.eu/fr/ or by consulting the travel advice of the Quai d'Orsay https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/ . Thus, since mid-July, Malta has only accepted people vaccinated with 2 doses due to the resurgence of the pandemic. Children aged 5 to under 12 must present a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old.

🌟Please note : the result of a positive RT-PCR test valid as proof of recovery from Covid must be at least 11 days old and a maximum of 6 months old in France. This period may vary depending on the destination country. Check the rules set by the destination country on the Travel Advice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is better to be vaccinated to travel outside France

‍

Since July 17, vaccinated French people are allowed to travel everywhere again. In countries classified as green, orange and red, even if for these last countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises travelers not to play with fire. And without restrictions on return as indicated in the table.

On the other hand, for those who are not vaccinated , i.e. some who partly fall into the health pass category, constraints still apply : a negative RT-PCR or antigen test less than 72 hours old is required to return to France before departure (less than 24 hours for countries under surveillance: Cyprus, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom). Including for adolescents aged 12 to 17.

‍

Our advice: Do your clients want to enjoy the great outdoors and nature? Why not recommend Ireland? Since July 19, this country accessible by boat and plane has been open to people with the European Union (EU) digital Covid certificate. No isolation or testing required in either direction. Children aged 12 to 17 will only need to present a negative RT-PCR test to travel to Ireland.

‍

Canada is opening its doors soon. From August 9 if you have American clients , September 9 for people coming from other countries. The condition is to be fully vaccinated with 2 injections of a vaccine recognized by Health Canada. We can imagine that the French as well as citizens of the European Union will be part of it. If you have clients who want to enjoy the Indian summer or the beautiful Quebec winter, keep an eye on this country to learn more about the next conditions of entry into this country.

‍

🌟Please note : for overseas destinations, even if vaccinated, your customers must take a PCR test 72 hours or an antigen test 48 hours before their departure from mainland France. To follow the situation, which is evolving rapidly and varies from one department or territory to another, consult the government website https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus/outre-mer .

Whether your customers are vaccinated, negative or recovered from Covid-19, they must respect the constraints imposed by the countries such as a curfew recently established on the island of Mykonos in Greece or a large part of Catalonia. But is it worse than the return of the obligation to wear a mask outdoors in many cities on the French coast? Once again, Covid-19 imposes its rhythm, places the summer of 2021 under the sign of unpredictability, forces us to adapt, but we must not give up traveling .

‍

Not yet an Ezus customer?

With our software solution , divide your document creation time by 2 and have all your personalized documents and travel management in the same place. Find out how during a demonstration .

‍