French president orders all health workers to get vaccine shots by Sept. 15, urges all French to get vaccinated now

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered all French health care workers to get virus vaccines by Sept. 15 and urged all of his compatriots to get vaccinated as soon as possible. In a televised address on Monday, Macron also mandated special COVID-19 passes for anyone who wants to go to a restaurant, shopping mall or several other public places. The delta variant is driving France’s virus infections back up again, just as the country kicked off summer vacation season after a long-awaited reopening process. Some 40% of France’s population is fully vaccinated but there are pockets of vaccine skepticism.