French parliament passes law to make COVID pass mandatory

The French parliament approved a bill requiring citizens to show a COVID-19 digital pass, pass sanitaire, to access restaurants, bars, trains and planes from August. The pass provides proof that a citizen has been vaccinated, has tested negative for COVID-19, or recovered from the virus. The pass will also become mandatory for children over 12 from August 30. However, the pass will not be required on public transport or domestic flights. The French government said that the pass requirements are necessary to encourage vaccinations, however critics have argued that they restrict civil liberties and are discriminatory.