the sanitary pass is entering the station

The health pass makes its debut this Monday in the daily life of the French. Bars, restaurants, cinemas but also long-distance transport are affected by this new tool. It is now mandatory to present a QR code with proof of vaccination, proof of recovery from the coronavirus or a negative test. And in the middle of August, holidaymakers will have to take their precautions, like the users of Gare de Lyon in Paris.

Random checks

Lamia is waiting for her train to Aix-en-Provence and she has integrated the message of the SNCF: now, we come with a ticket, a mask and a health pass. “We prepared it in paper version and on the laptop. There will surely be a little delay because of the pass checks which take longer, but we have planned to come a few minutes early,” she explains.

In order not to delay all the trains, the checks are random and not systematic. They take place at the quayside before leaving, on board, or once arrived at destination. And that’s a relief for Fanny, a regular on the big lines. “We know that those who are with us on the train have their health pass and are normally in order. So it’s more reassuring,” admits the young woman.

“One more constraint”

SNCF agents dressed in red or blue circulate in the hall to answer any questions from travelers. To anticipate, text messages were even sent to passengers to warn them. “I learned yesterday that I needed it for this morning. It is an additional constraint despite everything but we present it anyway,” reasoned a vacationer. “As far as I’m concerned, I had already used it in places like museums, the cinema or the swimming pool. So in a way, we are already a little used to it”, judges another.

Additional barnums were installed near the station on Monday in order to carry out rapid tests. And in the event of a positive result, SNCF will exchange or reimburse the tickets.