THOUSANDS of Brit face holiday hell in France as President Emmanuel Macron’s vaccine passport scheme comes into effect.
The programme would effectively bar unvaccinated Brits from bars and other public areas, prompting backlash from many already in France.
Many are expected to flock back home after the country was put on the UK’s “amber plus” list, meaning fully-vaccinated travellers wouldn’t need to quarantine on return.
Instead, they’ll need to prove they’re double-jabbed for everything in France – from scaling the Eiffel Tower to grabbing a glass of wine on an outdoor terrace.
Brits will have to load a QR code handed out by the NHS onto the French coronavirus app in order to prove their vaccine status.
French ambassador Catherine Colonna said holidaymakers experiencing issues with the new system should contact the French consulate in the UK, despite not answering the phone when media outlets called.
Now French businesses are worried the move will kill café culture this summer – only weeks after the country emerged from a brutal lockdown.
A survey by French trade magazine L’echommerces found that 40 per cent of bar and restaurant owners will simply ignore the new rule.
Fines for customers who refuse to show a “health pass” start at £115 (135 euros) and rise to as much as £3,000 (3,750 euros) or even a six-month prison term for repeat offenders.
Meanwhile, businesses can be slapped with a £1,300 fine (1,500 euros) or temporary closure for failing to check customers’ vaccine passports.
This rises to £7,600 (9,000 euros) and a year in prison for those caught breaking the rules more than three times.
