French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday vowed to “piss off” the country’s five million unvaccinated people as part of his strategy to combat another wave of COVID-19. In fact, France recorded more than 271,686 new cases on Tuesday, with the Omicron variant driving the country’s fifth wave.
In an interview with a French newspaper Le Parisien, Macron said he plans to take action against the unvaccinated population by initiating measures such as limiting access to social life. “The unvaccinated, I really want to piss them off. And so we will continue to do so, to the bitter end. That’s the strategy,” he said. Macron added, “I am not going to put them in prison, I am not going to forcibly vaccinate them. Therefore you have to say to them: from January 15 you can no longer go to a restaurant, you can no longer go for a drink, you can no longer go for a coffee, you can no longer go to the theatre, you can no longer go to the cinema.”
The French government is seeking approval for a new vaccine pass, wherein the current “health pass” would be converted into a “vaccine pass.” The move would effectively prevent people from accessing certain public areas, enjoying cultural activities, and using public transport, even if they test negative for COVID-19, thereby making vaccination compulsory.
However, Macron’s remarks have been criticised by political rivals, including far-right presidential candidates Eric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen. Le Pen took to Twitter to accuse Macron of treating the unvaccinated like second-class citizens.
Un Président ne devrait pas dire ça. Le garant de l'unité de la nation s'obstine à la diviser et assume vouloir faire des non-vaccinés des citoyens de seconde zone. Emmanuel Macron est indigne de sa fonction.
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) January 4, 2022
En avril, je serai la Présidente de tous les Français. pic.twitter.com/MKvaxsneec
Similarly, Senator Bruno Retailleau, who is also the president of the right-wing Les Républicains party, said, “No health emergency justifies such words.” Retailleau added, “Emmanuel Macron says he has learned to love the French, but it seems he especially likes to despise them. We can encourage vaccination without insulting anyone or pushing them to radicalisation.”
Likewise, Sophie, a 65-year-old unvaccinated citizen, told Euronews that Macron’s strategy to restrict movement is counterproductive. She added that she had planned on getting the jab but was put off due to safety concerns. “The more you get threats like that, the more people will resist,” she declared.
French President Emmanuel Macron just called France's 5 million unvaccinated citizens "non-citizens" and stated "I really want to piss them off. And so we will continue to do so to the bitter end. That's the strategy."
— Dr. David Samadi (@drdavidsamadi) January 5, 2022
Governments are getting bolder every day with this rhetoric.
As the fifth wave of the COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant continues to spread, the national health agency stated that more than 20,000 patients have been hospitalised, with 2,881 new patients on Monday alone. In addition, the agency said another 297 people had died in hospitals and that 3,665 people are in intensive care. Unvaccinated citizens account for the majority of ICU patients. Meanwhile, doctors say the people in intensive care are battling the Delta variant of COVID-19 and not the newer Omicron variant, which is more transmissible but induces less severe symptoms and has a lower hospitalisation rate.
77% of the population is reportedly fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Health Minister Olivier Véran said the country recorded many cases after conducting eight million tests last week, with the positivity rate rising to 15%. To prevent the spread of the virus, the French government has introduced several measures, including making masks mandatory for children above the age of six in indoor spaces. The government also has limited gatherings to 2,000 indoors and 5,000 outdoors.
Against this backdrop, a new COVID-19 variant has been identified in France. It currently has no colloquial name and is being referred to as B.1.640.2. It was first detected in early December in a traveller who had returned from Cameroon, though it remains unclear where it first originated. It has 46 mutations, nine more than the Omicron variant, but there is insufficient information on the danger it poses at this early stage.