The Continuing Adventure of Covid documentation, the Pass Sanitaire, and the French health system – Part Two.

 According to information on the US Consulate’s website, Americans can obtain a Pass Sanitaire by going to a French doctor or pharmacist, with satisfactory proof of Covid vaccination.  He or she will then enter your information into the French system and – Voila! – print out your own official Pass Sanitaire.

Big problem – the French system is set up for French residents, who are already in the system.  There is no provision for people who are not already entered into the database.  And, since we are not in the system, there is really no incentive for a doctor or pharmacist to take the time or to make the effort to create these records for people like us.  So, some doctors and pharmacists are understandably taking the position that it ‘cannot be done’.

So, as we often do when we get into a bind – we call on Estelle, our French daughter, to rescue us.  And of course, she saved us again.  What an adventure that was!  Good thing we have a French daughter who knows a pharmacist and knows us and we have, of course, all our US vaccination documentation.  Otherwise, we would be in the position of being unable to travel by train or plane, as in unable to leave the country almost, and unable to eat in a restaurant, visit a museum, etc, etc.

Even with our documentation and with Estelle advocating for us, not to mention a VERY accommodating pharmacist who went to great lengths and spent 40 minutes trying to fit us American square pegs into the round holes of the French system, it still took a great amount of effort to obtain the needed documents.

The Pharmacy, with green crosses at the bottom

Afterwards, the three of us immediately repaired to the Café Juliette nearby for celebratory, [and thank-you Estelle], Champagne!

Café Juliette

We returned to the pharmacy the next day with a thank-you note and two boxes of Sève Macarons, a favorite French confection, for the staff.

Sève Macarons for the pharmacy staff

Regarding US documentation - we would advise having more than your CDC covid vaccine card.  The state of Washington should have your vaccination info on the Department of Health's website and you should be able to print off a covid vaccine cert or at least a print-out of your vaccinations.  Residents of other states should try to obtain official vaccination records from their state of residence or, possibly from their physician. 

 The good news is that it has been announced that a Pass Sanitaire will shortly be available for qualified tourists – details as yet unknown.  Some folks have reported success using US vaccination documents, but that will not always work.  Many places, some big, some small, use the approved scanning method to check the validity of the Pass Sanitaire QR code, which links to the French Government's vaccination database.  They absolutely will not accept any substitute.  And, this is during the announced 'break-in' period this week.  Things will get more strict next week.

Check the US Consulate in France's website for the latest information.  It will have a link to the French Ministry of Health's website for even more information.  Just be aware that things change almost daily - be sure you have the most up-to-date information, and then be prepared for changes - current as of August 13, 2021.

Anna's Coveted, and Hard-Won, Pass Sanitaire

One more note, some small businesses have shut down rather than try to cope with this system.

The Continuing Adventure of Covid documentation, the Pass Sanitaire, and the French health system – Part One.

 We took a bit of a chance coming to Lyon June 16.  This was only one week after the French government lifted its Covid-inspired ban on American tourists.  We knew there would be glitches as there always are when rules change.  Plus, the airlines are responsible for vetting the eligibility of travelers to enter Europe.  Plus, each country had slightly different requirements, and our plane was not going directly to France, but to Amsterdam.  Even allowing a week for the dust to settle, Delta Airlines was still not totally up to date on screening passengers for compliance with French requirements – partly because France was not completely clear on what constituted proof of vaccination.  Delta’s website was not completely up to date, so the ticket agent where we checked our bags and had our boarding passes printed had to call Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta to ensure that she was checking the correct documents – vaccination certification, negative PCR test done less than 72 hours before take-off, etc.  That took about 30 minutes – luckily we had plenty of time.

Entering Europe was fairly smooth – they checked our vaccination papers in Amsterdam where we changed planes for Paris, but not in Paris.  After all the checks we had to go through to get that far, they must have assumed everything would be in order.

We arrived in Lyon on the hottest day of the year so far – 94-95 degrees.  There was still a curfew in place starting at 11PM, but that vanished after two weeks – besides us old people are not often out that late.  Most places such as museums and restaurants were open again, so our routine French life could fall into a familiar pattern.  We had made no travel plans inside France as we did not know what would be open, what rules would be in place, etc.

Then – surprise – the French government began to implement a policy called the ‘Pass Sanitaire’.  This is a document - either paper or on your smart phone - with a QR code linked to your French Covid vaccination records.  Without this document, starting August 1 and August 9, you cannot go into most enclosed spaces, cannot patronize a bar or restaurant either inside or outside, cannot ride intercity trains, buses, or planes, etc., etc.  About the only exceptions are grocery stores and small shops necessary to purchase needed supplies like food and wine. 

To make it easier for everyone to get vaccinated, a walk-in vaccination center opened at the Part Dieu shopping center near our apartment.  At first, only a trickle of customers.  After the Pass Sanitaire mandate - there were lines!

Walk-in Vaccination clinic at Part Dieu

This has had two basic reactions from the French – a huge rush to get vaccinated [which is the point, we think], and growing weekly demonstrations against the Pass Sanitaire program.  France is now a bit ahead of the US in percent of the populace vaccinated, but even with the rush to get vaccinated, it will take weeks for the rest of the populace to qualify for their Pass Sanitaire.  Life is going to be very difficult for the 50% of folks who are not yet fully vaccinated, as well as for the business people who must screen their customers to see if they have the coveted Pass Sanitaire. 

Coming next – the adventure of a pair of foreigners obtaining their Pass Sanitaires through the intricacies of the French Health System.

Our Garden in Lyon

Some of you already know that we have a garden at home.  And, that we both come from families of happy gardeners. So, Anna wanted to have a bit of a garden at our apartment in Lyon.  We have tried a variety of potted plants in the apartment - rosemary, hyacinths, etc.  But, a small potted plant is not a small garden.

Anna mentioned this to Roger, our friend, and then landlord, who is also a gardener in his expansive terrace.  And, Roger came to the rescue with hangers and large planters for our living room's large windows.  He also gave us some potting soil, and David then went on a scavenger hunt to find enough soil to fill the pots.  Meanwhile, Anna started looking for appropriate plants and chose some baby geraniums.  And, it all came together!

Now, we refresh our flower boxes at the beginning of each visit.  This year's geraniums were just starting to bloom when a freak thunder shower and hail storm ruthlessly pruned the plants and removed the buds.  However, geraniums are tough.  And, with a little fertilizer,  a couple of "plant nannies" (those glass balls in the photo), a pinwheel to discourage pigeons, and lots of encouraging comments from Anna, they have not only survived but are thriving.

So here is our garden in Lyon:

The language war: French vs English in France

A diplomat has recently stated that French President Emmanuel Macron is drawing up plans for French to replace English as the official “working language” of the European Union when France takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2022. (Currently, English is the 'working language' of the EU and is used in high-level meetings between representatives from across the bloc's 27 member states.)  Well, replacing English with French was not well received by everyone in the EU, however.  One diplomat said: “It could divide."  Other comments were: "Some are afraid of missing something because their French is not very good" and "We are so used to English.“  Replacing English with French in the EU sounds like a tall order for France accomplish during its six month term as President of the Council of the European Union!

So, what about at home?  What is the French government doing to promote the use of the French language in France in the meantime?  Well, Paris now requires that all official documents and meetings be held in French.  And, a French diplomat recently said, "We will always ask the Commission to send us in French the letters it wishes to send to the French authorities, and if they do not do so, we will wait for the French version before sending it."  

So how about a little reality check?  From what we have observed, M Macron is facing an uphill battle on the homefront.  Here are just a few examples we see in Lyon:

It seems that every time we come we see more English words.  We have heard that English is now the preferred language taught in schools, after French, of course.   And, cashiers and others we meet casually seem to love to try out their English with us.  Time will tell how successful France will be in having the French use only French.  We're taking bets, and we're betting "not a chance!"