The Latest: Health pass protesters march again in France

PARIS — Thousands of people, from families to far-right sympathizers, marched in cities across France for a fifth straight Saturday to denounce a COVID-19 health pass needed to enter restaurants and long-distance trains.

Some 1,600 police were deployed for three separate marches in Paris, a week after the health pass went into effect. “Liberty” was the slogan, with protesters saying the health pass limits their freedom.

Polls show most French people support the health pass.

The marches came as France is facing soaring numbers of new infections, driven by the more transmissible delta variant. In Montpellier, some 7,500 people marched. The city is in the region where the infection rate is above 600 per 100,000 people, among the highest in the country.

On Friday, 46.1 million people in France, nearly 68% of the population, had received at least one vaccine shot. More than 38.8 million, or 57%, had two shots.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Coronavirus claims more young victims in U.S. as deaths climb

— Protesters in France denounce COVID-19 health pass for 5th straight Saturday

— COVAX only goes so far as rich countries dominate global vaccine allotments

— Iran will impose 6-day ‘general lockdown’ against coronavirus

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— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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