(CN) — Facing a tough reelection next spring and the grim prospect of another winter of coronavirus illness and lockdowns, French President Emmanuel Macron is making headlines across Europe with his decision to force the French to get vaccinated or not be allowed into cafes, cinemas, gyms and restaurants.
On Monday evening, Macron made his fifth televised speech since the coronavirus pandemic started and announced new rules to effectively make vaccination mandatory for people wanting to live normal lives. He also said it will become mandatory for health workers to get inoculated.
“To protect ourselves and for the sake of our unity, we must move toward the vaccination of all French people because that is the only way to return to normal life,” Macron said, speaking with a lit-up Eiffel Tower in the backdrop.
“A summer of mobilization for vaccination: this is what we must aim for. Vaccinate as many people as possible anywhere, at anytime,” the 43-year-old president said.
Other European nations are introducing or discussing adopting similar rules, though these policies are sparking debate and dividing opinions over their legality, fairness and effectiveness. Some countries, such as Germany and Cyprus, already require people eating at restaurants to show they have been vaccinated.
Following Macron's speech, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was not ready for force health workers to get vaccinated. But similar measures to those in France are going into effect in Greece.
In France, Macron's top-down vaccination push was decried by his chief opponent, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, as an attack on personal freedoms. Macron and Le Pen are running neck-to-neck in polls and are expected to face off in April. The mainstream conservative party, Les Republicains, is fielding a candidate, Xavier Bertrand, who could be a contender too for the runoff.
Macron is struggling to win over French voters, and his liberal party performed dismally in recent regional elections. His approval rating is stuck at around 57% and his pro-business neoliberal policies have irked many French. His term as president has been marked by protests, disillusionment, poor election results, ridicule and doubts over his handling of the pandemic. France was one of the countries hit the hardest in Europe, in part because of Macron's unwillingness to impose lockdowns and restrictions.
On Monday, though, Macron tried to paint a sunny picture of his presidency, describing France as the best place in Europe to live and work, and laying out a future where France will become a technology leader with homegrown high-tech businesses.
His speech was seen as a kind of unofficial launch of his reelection campaign as he talked about creating jobs, investing in green technologies, making France a pioneer in modernization, lowering taxes and raising the retirement age. Overhauling France's complex, and generous, retirement system is a very touchy subject in France, and his previous attempts at reform failed after widespread protests broke out.
Macron is betting on winning a second term in the Elysee Palace through his tough stance on vaccination. France has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe with about 52.6% of French having received at least one vaccine dose. Infections are on the rise across Europe due to the spread of the much more contagious delta variant, and European leaders are imposing new restrictions to ward off the need for new crippling lockdowns.
Macron said it will become mandatory for all health workers to get vaccinated by September 15, and that starting in August people will need to show they have been vaccinated or recently tested negative for coronavirus infection before they can enter cafes, restaurants, shopping centers, gyms, hospitals and retirement homes.
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