Is France about to start charging for certain types of Covid test?
Patrick Berche, a doctor and member of the Acadmie de mdecine has proposed starting to charge for Covid tests done for personal convenience  if the patient is not vaccinated. At present all tests are free  even for tourists  and test results can be presented instead of a vaccination certificate at events which require a health passport to enter  such as concerts  or for travel. READ ALSO How Frances health passport works  Berches idea is to exert a gentle pressure on more people to get vaccinated. Tests performed for contact tracing reasons or if a person has symptoms, will remain free. At this stage it is only an idea, but French government spokesman Gabriel Attal did not rule it out, saying only: It is a question that will arise around the start of the school year, in an interview with France Info on Monday morning. Its a great idea, Benjamin Davido, an infectious disease specialist, told Le Parisien. Some will say that it is an unconfessed form of vaccination obligation, but I do not agree: nothing obliges to visit a relative abroad or to go to a concert. The goal is mainly to eliminate the few people who do routine tests or for their own convenience.  France is one of the few countries that does not charge for travel tests. It has also extended free testing to tourists over the summer, mainly to keep Covid numbers down, but something that is welcome for travellers who need a test to return to their home country. READ ALSO How visitors can get a Covid test in France  Throughout the earlier stages of the pandemic, people in France were encouraged to take a test before visiting elderly relatives or travelling to another part of the country, but now authorities are keen to direct people towards vaccination. The rate of first injections for the vaccine has slowed in recent weeks, worrying for authorities as cases of the Delta variant of Covid are on the rise.