Covid-19: London maintains quarantine for travelers from France, even vaccinated

Published on : 07/17/2021 – 10:43

Residents of the United Kingdom coming from France, even fully vaccinated against Covid-19, will have to continue to observe a quarantine on their arrival in England, the British government announced on Friday (July 16), making France an exception among the countries placed on its “orange” list.

The government had previously announced that fully vaccinated people residing in the United Kingdom and coming from countries classified as “orange”, among which many tourist destinations in Europe such as France, Italy or Spain, would no longer need to ‘observe quarantine from Monday.

“However, this will not apply to France due to the persistent presence of cases in France of the Beta variant (of the coronavirus), which was first identified in South Africa”, indicates the Ministry of Health in a press release.

Anyone who has stayed in France in the last ten days preceding their arrival in England will have to quarantine themselves – observable in their own accommodation – and screen for Covid-19 two days and eight days after their arrival.

>> To read also: “Covid-19: in France, the most vulnerable remain insufficiently vaccinated”

This quarantine can be lifted with an optional test carried out five days after arrival. Screenings are at the expense of the traveler. Road carriers from France will continue to be exempt from this mandatory isolation period.

“We have always been clear that we will not hesitate to take swift action at our borders to stop the spread of Covid-19 and protect the achievements of our successful vaccination program,” said the Minister of Health , Sajid Javid, in a statement.

Increase in contamination

“With the restrictions being lifted across the country on Monday, we will do all we can to ensure that international travel is as secure as possible and to protect our borders from the threat of variants,” he continued.

One of the countries most affected in Europe by the Covid-19, which has killed more than 128,500 there, the United Kingdom has seen contaminations climb for weeks, even exceeding 50,000 daily cases on Friday, unheard of since January.

Despite these figures, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lifting of virtually all remaining restrictions in England from Monday, including the requirement to wear masks or adhere to social distancing rules.

It builds on the success of a vaccination campaign launched in early December which has enabled more than two-thirds of adults to be fully vaccinated.

With AFP