The British government announced this Wednesday, August 4, the withdrawal on Sunday of the quarantine imposed on travelers vaccinated against the coronavirus who arrive in England from mainland France.
London thus lifts a measure denounced as “discriminatory” by Paris, imposed three weeks ago, which the government of Boris Johnson had justified by the “persistent” presence of the Beta variant in France. It excluded France from a relaxation of British rules, which recently made it possible to exempt travelers from countries classified in orange from quarantine if they are vaccinated with a serum approved by US and European regulators.
The Hexagon thus finds the classic orange list, which imposes a quarantine of between five and 10 days only on travelers who are not vaccinated. On the other hand, Reunion Island and Mayotte, where the Beta variant initially identified in neighboring South Africa is present, are classified in red, reserving only British residents the possibility of returning to England, at the cost of an expensive quarantine in the hotel. Mandatory 10 days. Mexico and Georgia suffer the same fate.
Spain, the first destination for British vacationers, escapes from the red list and remains in orange. India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates drop the red list to qualify for orange. Seven countries, including Germany, are joining the green list and require only a negative test before departure and a test on the second day.
“We are determined to open up safe international travel,” UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps said in a statement. “While we must remain careful, today’s changes are reopening a variety of vacation destinations around the world, which is good news for the industry and travelers,” he added. The rules set by the UK government apply only to England, but local governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland generally take the same steps.