Introduced in France this summer, a “health pass” attesting that the holder is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or has recently tested negative to the coronavirus, is required for gaining access to a wide range of public venues. This month, as the government moves to extend its power to impose the pass through to next summer, Mediapart took to the road to gather reactions to the restrictions in the lesser populated rural areas of central and south-west France, where local concerns contrast with those in crowded urban zones. Here, Nicolas Cheviron reports from the village of Corn, whose mayor, Dominique Legresy, a fervent opponent of the pass, confides how he tries “to allow things to happen” without breaking the law.
The village of Corn is nestled in a small valley at the heart of the vast Causses du Quercy nature reserve in the Lot département (county) of south-west France. To all outside appearances, this village of 240 inhabitants is a peaceful and happy place, situated between the river Célé, which flows down from the Massif Central, and a limestone plateau (“causse” in French) which overlooks it.
