It will be easier for the French to cross the English Channel. The British government announced on Wednesday night the removal on Sunday of the quarantine imposed on travelers vaccinated against coronavirus arriving in England from mainland France. France thus finds the classic orange list, which imposes a quarantine of between five and ten days only on travelers who are not vaccinated.
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.
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 a costly quarantine. ten day hotel. 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, meanwhile, leave the red list to be classified in orange. Finally, seven countries, including Germany, join the green list, requiring only a negative test before departure and a test on the second day.
“We are determined to open up safe international travel,” said UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps. “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. One of the worst affected countries in Europe, the United Kingdom has mourned more than 130,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.