France opens its borders to shielded travelers from the UK

People who have been vaccinated against Covid will be able to enter again France from the UK from Friday without having to provide a compelling reason, French Tourism Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoine announced on Thursday.

“People were vaccinated from United kingdom “They will no longer have to give a compelling reason,” Lemoine told TV5Monde, also declaring that they should not be quarantined anymore.

Those vaccinated will be required to have a negative diagnostic test, which is taken 24 hours before departure. “They will already be able to travel from the UK for leisure or come skiing in France,” he added.

In addition to providing this negative test, unvaccinated people, for their part, must justify a “compelling reason” and will not be able to travel for leisure. “the Serum Make a difference.”

The French government had determined a month ago that travelers traveling to or heading to the UK justify the trip with good reason, given the sudden rise in infections due to the omicron variant.

But in the middle of the year-end holidays and the onset of winter in ski resorts, the sector expressed concern about the absence of a significant portion of its British customers.

“British customers represent 15% of all French ski resorts,” Lemoine explained, noting that the government is financially supporting the tourism sector, which has been hit by the pandemic. pandemic.

The ad was well received at the ski resorts. Francois Bagili, office manager the landmarks of the city From the popular Alpe d “Huez.

The sector in France records an 8% decrease in bookings compared to 2019, but with different scenarios (-14% in the Alps and +12% in the Pyrenees), according to the specialized agency Protourisme.