Omicron Covid Variant, Omicron Coronavirus Variant, New Omicron Covid Variant: France Restricts travel from UK via Omicron Surge

Omicron variant: France will tighten restrictions on travel from the UK due to the Omicron variant. (File)

Paris:

France will ban non-essential travel to and from Britain to slow the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that is causing a record number of cases in the UK, the government said on Thursday. the other side of the Channel.

From midnight Saturday (2300 GMT Friday) there will be “a requirement to have an essential reason to travel to or from the UK, for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people… All who are unable to travel for tourist or professional reasons,” the government said in a statement.

“Faced with the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK, the government has chosen to revive demand for an essential reason for travel from and to the UK,” the statement said.

It added that French citizens and EU citizens can still return to France from the UK.

“We are going to put in place a stricter control system than the one we already have,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal told BFMTV.

Attal said the policy is intended to “tighten the net” to slow the emergence of Omicron cases in France and give time for France’s booster vaccination campaign to gain more ground.

“Our strategy is to delay as much as possible the development of Omicron in our country and take advantage of it to accelerate the intensification process,” he said.

Quarantine blanket

In addition, returning travelers will need to have a negative test result in less than 24 hours and will be subject to blanket quarantine upon their return to France.

“Everyone (returning) will have to register on an app and will have to self-isolate in a place of their choice for seven days – controlled by security forces – but this could be shortened to 48 hours if completed.” negative results are done in France,” he said.

On Wednesday, Britain recorded 78,610 lab-confirmed Covid cases, with scientists predicting an even higher rate as Omicron is believed to spread much faster than the Delta variant currently currently have advantages.

Tight travel restrictions are also being put in place during what analysts see as a breakdown of trust between the British and French governments after Brexit on a range of issues from migrants to fishing.

French President Emmanuel Macron last week accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government of not keeping its word on Brexit, saying “the problem with the British government is that they don’t do what they say”.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)