PARIS (REUTERS) - The French government is going ahead with its new plan to fight new Covid-19 infections and relieve pressure that could again submerge hospitals with some tweaks such as reduced fines, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Monday (July 19).

"We have entered the fourth wave of the epidemic," Attal said after a meeting of the French cabinet.

The plan, which notably includes requiring a health pass in a wide array of venues such as restaurants or cinemas and making vaccination mandatory for health workers, accounts for some of the toughest anti-covid measures in Europe.