France to relax Covid travel rules from the UK

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (18 Jan)

France is to relax its Covid restrictions for those travelling from the UK from Friday 14 January, the government has announced.

France had brought in the restrictions on 18 December in an attempt to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. Since that date, France had set a ‘requirement to have an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both for the unvaccinated and vaccinated … and that people cannot travel for touristic or professional reasons.’ However, from 14 January, vaccinated travellers will no longer need a compelling reason to enter France or self-isolate when they arrive.

A negative Covid-19 test, taken 24 hours before leaving the UK, will still be required, vaccinated or not. Non-vaccinated travellers will also still need a compelling reason to enter France, and must still isolate for 10 days upon arrival.

France is still battling a surge in Covid-19 infections. On Thursday, there were a record 368, 817 new cases and 341 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

France had also tightened its restrictions earlier this month, making remote working compulsory for those who can, and limiting public gatherings for indoor events. Eating and drinking on long distance transport is banned, cafés and bars can provide table service only and nightclubs are closed.

On Thursday, the French Senate approved a controversial pass, which requires people to be fully vaccinated to visit a range of establishments, including bars and restaurants. It also removes the option of showing a negative test to get in.

Thousands protested against the pass on Saturday, with many angry at President Emmanuel Macron who has said he wants to ‘piss off’ unvaccinated citizens.

In total, 12.6 million people have been infected in France, and more than 127,000 have died since the start of the pandemic.

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