PARIS, Jan 13 — The French Senate approved on Thursday the government’s latest measures to tackle the Covid-19 virus, including a vaccine pass, which has encountered some opposition among the public after President Emmanuel Macron’s harsh criticism of the unvaccinated.

The Senate backed the Covid measures and legislation for a Covid vaccine pass by 249 in favour, versus 63 against. The legislation had already been approved earlier this month by France’s lower house of parliament.

Macron and members of his ruling La Republique En Marche party have stepped up their campaign this year against those not vaccinated against Covid, as France battles a fifth wave of the virus.

Macron told Le Parisien paper this month that he wanted to "piss off” unvaccinated people by making their lives so complicated they would end up getting the Covid vaccine.

On Wednesday, France registered 361,719 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, and a further 246 Covid deaths in hospitals.

French teachers will also walk off the job en masse on Thursday over what they say is a government failure to adopt a coherent policy for schools to manage the Covid pandemic, or properly protect pupils and staff against infection. — Reuters