As part of the fight against the fourth wave of coronavirus, the French must now present their health pass to enter certain cultural and leisure establishments bringing together more than 50 people.

At the Louvre-Lens museum in particular, visitors took off the mask this Wednesday morning to finally take full advantage of their visit. 

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Since this Wednesday, the French must present proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test while the number of contaminations has jumped by 140% in one week in the country.

Cinemas, museums and sports establishments are concerned.

At the Louvre-Lens, in the Pas-de-Calais, visitors must therefore now be equipped to walk the galleries and exhibitions.

With a particular consequence, the masks are no longer on the faces but rather in the pockets.

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No drop in attendance, no refusals so far

In the gallery of time, we see smiles again. In particular those of Josy, Michel and Cédric. "It's nice. You can really have a normal cultural visit without being embarrassed in terms of breathing. In fact, you can fully experience the visit", rejoices one of them. "We can talk to each other and we have total freedom. It's worth it to be vaccinated," adds another. 

However, not everyone takes the mask off. About three-quarters of visitors keep it. But it is above all a question of habit, as Hervé explains. "When I work I have it all day so it doesn't cost me anything. Inside, I play it safe," he admits. On the security side precisely, at the entrance to the porticoes, the novelty is above all the implementation of sanitary pass control.

An organization that Gauthier Verbeke, in charge of mediation at the Louvre-Lens, feared a little.

"We wondered how the public would react but we realize that it is all the same there, so that makes us very happy", assures the latter.

For the time being, no drop recorded in attendance: around 150 visitors have opened the doors this Wednesday morning, and so far no refusals. 

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"Suspension requests" in sports halls

In sports halls, on the contrary, a slight drop in attendance was felt on the treadmills this Wednesday morning. "There were no requests for termination, on the other hand we have a lot of requests for suspension for the month of August and until mid-September. By the time members get their health pass", says Daniel Halifax, Managing Director of the Form Developpement group.

In this room in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, the organization is not much different than at Louvre-Lens and opinions are almost unanimous. Bottle of water in the bag and towel around their neck, members must also present their sanitary pass at the entrance to be able to train. "I tell myself that I did well to be vaccinated a month and a half ago, especially since yesterday I have been in the zone of full effectiveness", explains a morning sportsman, happy to be able to do his session of cardio. "It reassures me to have to show this pass. We can do our sport in peace, without having to think about whether we are worrying our neighbor," says another. 

But some still had unpleasant surprises when they arrived: forgetting a certificate or an invalid pass, not all members are ready. "You haven't received your second dose yet so I can't let you in. You have to do a PCR or antigen test," the ward manager explained to one of them. In this establishment, the majority of employees are also already vaccinated. As for the others, they have until August 30 to receive their second injection.