French Prime Minister  Jean Castex has announced a set of measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 during the holiday season, and has urged French residents to follow the precautionary measures.

Faced with the fifth wave of the pandemic, which is "continuing to strike France aggressively with more than 50,000 cases per day," Castex said that, starting January 3, 2022, the booster dose can be received four months after the second injection, rather than the current five months.

"A draft bill to convert the health pass into a vaccination pass will be submitted at the beginning of January," he said, emphasizing that "only vaccination will be valid in this pass." Non-vaccinated people will have to get vaccinated, he says, because the only legitimate document provided will be proof of vaccination, not a negative PCR test.

The authorities would also "tighten controls and sanctions for false passes," according to the prime minister. With the holidays approaching, Castex has urged French citizens to avoid congested areas. Hospitals will be packed, and French citizens should consider taking precautions to prevent infections before and throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays, he cautioned.

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