The Senate dominated by the right adopted overnight, at first reading, the health bill, after having restored a possibility of recourse to a health control of travelers, which had been removed by the National Assembly. The text, which confirms the expiry on August 1 of the exceptional regimes put in place to fight against the Covid epidemic, was voted by 189 votes against 33. The PS, environmentalists, RDSE groups with a radical majority and Independents are abstained. The Communist-majority CRCE group voted against. 14 LR senators (out of 145) also voted against, and 13 abstained.
Deputies and senators will try on Thursday to agree on a common version in a joint joint committee (CMP). If agreed, it will still have to be voted on one last time by both chambers. “We will go to the CMP tomorrow with a rallying position”, indicated the senator of the majority RDPI group En Marche Alain Richard. If unsuccessful, the shuttle will continue.
In the National Assembly, the bill “monitoring and health security” had been amputated from its key article, by a conjunction of votes from the RN, LR and a majority of the left alliance Nupes. A first legislative setback for the presidential majority, which placed the Senate in a position of strength. In front of the senators, the Minister of Health François Braun declared himself ” ready “ to build a “compromise without compromise”. The Senate approved the tightened device proposed by the rapporteur LR Philippe Bas, amended in session.
Welcoming travelers at the heart of the bill
This new measure is available in two distinct devices. The first concerns travelers from foreign countries. In the event of the appearance of a new, particularly dangerous Covid variant, the government could impose the presentation of a negative test on boarding. This for one month, a vote of Parliament being necessary beyond. A second similar device could apply for trips to overseas communities “in case of risk of saturation” of their health system.
On the initiative of Philippe Bonnecarrère (centrist) and Thani Mohamed Soilihi (RDPI), the possibility of a check was introduced for people from overseas communities. On the other hand, the Senate rejected amendments made by several groups, including the centrists, to restore the possibility of producing, not only a negative test, but also proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid.
The Minister of Health François Braun was in favor of it, considering that these elements “continue to make medical sense”. The rapporteur defended him a choice of efficiency. denouncing “an unacceptable setback”PS Group leader Patrick Kanner asserted that the rapporteur’s motivation is not “that scientific”but also political, to meet an expectation of LR deputies.
The vaccination obligation of caregivers, a political subject
Another subject that has been debated, the question of the reintegration of unvaccinated caregivers, while the various scientific authorities oscillate between reservations and “strong opposition” faced with such an eventuality. “We are creating a path to reintegration”explained Mr. Bas, for whom “the decision must be medical, it will be”. According to the rapporteur’s proposal, the obligation to vaccinate caregivers will be suspended as soon as the High Authority for Health deems that it is no longer justified, and non-vaccinated caregivers will then be “immediately reinstated”.
The Minister, who reported 2,605 suspensions in the health sector, judged the device ” balance “. For Bernard Jomier (PS), “it is only a political message which is sent and which takes place within the framework of the new balances of our assemblies”.
Among LR senators, Alain Milon opposed this provision, fearing that it would create ” a previous “ for other vaccination obligations. Alain Houpert on the contrary called the minister “to free our caregivers, our police forces, our firefighters”. The senators have also explicitly provided in the text for the repeal of regimes allowing the establishment of restrictions on freedoms, such as confinement, curfew or health pass.
“If it went without saying, maybe it goes better by saying it”, commented the minister. Finally, the text makes it possible to extend the tools for monitoring the SI-DEP and Contact Covid epidemic.