The return to national soil of French expatriates, vaccinated abroad and therefore deprived of a health pass, will be simplified. They will be able to submit their request “from this week” to obtain a QR code, says State Secretary for Tourism, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, in an interview with Journal du Dimanche (JDD) from August 1st. Good news for expatriates, who regretted being left behind when the precious sesame will become mandatory, at the beginning of August, to enter in particular in cafes, restaurants or shopping centers.
“With Jean-Yves Le Drian, we are setting up a specific mechanism to provide them with a solution. In practice, it will suffice to send proof of vaccination – for vaccines approved by the European Union (EU) or their equivalents -, together with an identity document and proof of residence abroad, to receive a QR code. “Dedicated email addresses will be set up depending on the country of residence . It will be very simple,” he promises.
Regarding the French vaccinated abroad with a vaccine not approved by the EU, he adds that “the health pass [has been extended] to all vaccines assimilated to those recognized by the European Medicines Agency”. For unauthorized vaccines, he asked scientific experts to assess under what conditions they could be supplemented by vaccination with messenger RNA in France.
“The President has also wanted a vaccination campaign to be deployed for our compatriots established in countries where access to the vaccine is still complicated,” said Mr. Lemoyne. We have already delivered and administered the vaccine to tens of thousands of people in 57 countries, under the control of our embassies and consulates. “
The Secretary of State took the opportunity to remind pharmacists that French people living outside France have “free access to tests on our territory”.
“Hopes” for summer tourism
In his interview with the JDD, the Secretary of State also provided an update on summer tourism. “France hopes to receive 50 million foreign visitors this summer, against 35 million last year and 90 million in 2019. The summer is therefore a bearer of hope”, underlines Mr. Lemoyne.
“The local European clientele are: Germans, Dutch, and Belgians. On the other hand, the British, like last summer, come less, because their government has set up a strict fortnight on their return,” he explains.
The “distant” international clientele, crucial in particular for Paris, is also likely to be still largely lacking: “A few Americans have been coming back since June, but we will not see Asian tourists again before 2022. And Paris still suffers from the lack of business tourism”, adds the Secretary of State. Good news, however, as many business events are planned for September-December 2021 as in 2019. With a downside, because event professionals expect a 50% drop in rented stand areas.