France and the UK are choosing completely different strategies against the Delta variant of the coronavirus

22 million French people sat down Monday night to watch President Emmanuel Macron speak to the nation. The message was grim, as is often the case when the president speaks at eight o’clock.

Our country is facing a major surge in the epidemic. The Delta type of virus is more contagious than its predecessors, and in August we will see an increased burden on hospitals. The equation is simple, Macron said: The more vaccination, the less room for the virus to spread.

About 37 percent of it The president explained that the French population is now fully vaccinated, but the rate must be increased. In August, a requirement will be made to obtain a vaccine passport (certificate of completed vaccination or a new test, a negative test) to go to the cinema, theater, restaurant or cafe, as well as for travel by train and plane. At the same time, vaccination has become mandatory for everyone who works in the care and care of the elderly.

Health Minister Olivier Veran underlined the seriousness:

The choice now is not between normal life and the passage of a vaccine. But between the new closure and the passage of the vaccine.

In the UK, 52 percent have of the population so far vaccinated, providing a better starting point. But the delta variant, on the other hand, has already led to a sharp increase in the number of cases.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson still insists that all binding restrictions be lifted next week. He also doubts the introduction of compulsory vaccination permits in restaurants, for example, as there are many in his Conservative Party who see this as discriminatory.

However, the question is whether his choice of path might instead lead to the collapse of society, as the French claim. The fact that the delta variant is already becoming more contagious in the Netherlands, where the number of cases doubled in less than two weeks and the government had to apologize and reimpose restrictions.

financial timesAnd the times And the Watchman He points to a model on which the British government has based some of its calculations, according to which it will have thousands of hospital admissions in August and about 200 deaths a day, as a result of the repealed restrictions.

The authorities do so far It is estimated that a wave of infection during the summer is better than a larger wave in the winter. But it is a risky arithmetic, and it can be altered by new variants of the virus, new vaccines, booster doses, etc. Younger people with COVID-19 can also develop post-Covid-19 disease – something that can lead to great suffering.

In France, by all accounts, the risks are taken more seriously, and we want to try to vaccinate as many people as possible before the wave. Macron’s initiative to make vaccine permits more or less mandatory is also being followed up with interest in the UK, where organizers of major events are already being encouraged to ask for vaccination certificates. But whether it is worth restricting the freedom to go further in France – this question is likely to continue to be discussed on both sides of the English Channel.

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Macron: Vaccination card is required to go to a cafe in France في