New restrictions will take effect on Saturday December 18. France will tighten access conditions for travelers from the United Kingdom, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Thursday, on BFMTV. Objective: to limit “the extremely rapid diffusion of the Omicron variant” on the Hexagon. Compelling reasons, duration of isolation, validity of tests before traveling … Franceinfo takes stock of these restrictions.
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The return of “compelling reasons” to travel to or come from the United Kingdom
The “compelling reasons” concern both vaccinated and unvaccinated people,“from this Saturday morning at 0 am”, the government said in a press release. But these motives “will not allow travel for tourist or professional reasons”.
Death, child custody, judicial summons, university exchange student … you will find the list of all “compelling reasons”, for all travelers coming from France or the United Kingdom on this link.
The people concerned
Will be able to travel to the UK or enter France for “compelling reason” all “French national, as well as his spouse (married, civil union and cohabiting) and his children”, and all “British national and members of his family benefiting from the agreement” on Brexit.
Likewise for “national (s) of the European Union or assimilated” as well as “their spouses and their children having their main residence in France”, and the “third-country nationals holding a French or European residence permit or long-stay visa” residing in France.
Can also benefit from a “compelling reason” The travellers “in transit for less than 24 hours in the international zone at airports”, some registered students “in French as a foreign language (FLE) courses” or even some health professionals.
48 hours of isolation
An isolation system on arrival in France is also in place, in a place that travelers “will choose for seven days, with a control of the security forces”, but who could be “lifted after 48 hours” if a test carried out on arrival in France turns out to be negative. “You will have to register on an application that will generate a prefectural isolation order”, said Gabriel Attal.
Before leaving the UK, you will need to “register on a digital platform” and identify the address of the stay in France. “This platform will make it possible to generate prefectural orders fixing the obligation of isolation in the place of their choice for all travelers, unvaccinated as vaccinated”, but this isolation can be lifted “from 48 hours” in case of negative test.
It should also be noted that the validity of antigen and PCR tests on departure from the United Kingdom is reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours.