Paris, Jan 13 (AFP\/APP):France said it will ease coronavirus curbs introduced last month on travellers from Britain, enabling vaccinated tourists to visit from Friday providing they have a negative test.<\/p>\n
The government has decided to end a blanket ban on non-essential travel, announced on December 16 when “the epidemic was spreading at a spectacular rate in the United Kingdom,” the prime minister’s office said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Paris was concerned about the spread of the Omicron variant at the time, but daily recorded cases of Covid-19 in France have since surpassed those in Britain.<\/p>\n
“The wide circulation today of the variant in both countries has led the government to make the following changes,” the statement from Jean Castex’s office said.<\/p>\n
All travellers from the UK will have to show a negative PCR or antigen test taken 24 hours before their departure.<\/p>\n
The decision will allow thousands of winter-sports enthusiasts to head to the French Alps, popular with British skiers who had to cancel holidays booked over the Christmas and New Year period.<\/p>\n
The unvaccinated will continue to face restrictions, however.<\/p>\n
They will have to provide a “compelling reason” to travel such as a family emergency, and have to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in France at an address “that will be checked by security forces”, the French statement said.<\/p>\n
The vaccinated face no such restrictions.<\/p>\n
The French travel rules came at a time when relations between the British and French governments were at historic lows due to a host of disagreements related to Brexit, as well as cross-Channel migration and a poached submarine contract with Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Paris, Jan 13 (AFP\/APP):France said it will ease coronavirus curbs introduced last month on travellers from Britain, enabling vaccinated tourists to visit from Friday providing they have a negative test. The government has decided to end a blanket ban on non-essential travel, announced on December […]<\/p>\n
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