Castex said non-essential travel was also banned under the new restrictions, but added that the new rules did not apply to French nationals living in Britain who wished to return to France.
Those who leave Britain and go to France will face stricter testing requirements, even if they have been vaccinated. All travelers must submit a negative virus test within 24 hours of departure, instead of 48 hours. (The 24-hour rule already exists for non-vaccinated travelers.)
All travelers from Great Britain must register online and isolate for a maximum of 10 days. However, they can take the test 48 hours after their arrival, and if the result is negative, they can end their isolation period.
France is already facing an increase in the number of cases attributable to the delta variant, which is putting pressure on an understaffed hospital system that is under strain after nearly two years of fighting the virus. There are nearly 3,000 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, the highest level since June, and authorities expect that number to rise to 4,000 by the end of the year.
The aim of the new travel restrictions is to “delay the arrival of cases of Omicron variants on our land and reduce them as much as possible,” Gabriel Attal, a French government spokesman, told BFMTV news channel Thursday.
