"This virus does not have a passport", launched Emmanuel Macron on March 12, during his address to the French.
The President of the Republic announced that evening the closure of nurseries, schools, colleges and high schools.
But he called not to give in to any nationalist withdrawal.
Water has flowed under the bridges and the epidemic has since hit the entire planet.
Thursday evening, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced a strengthening of border controls.
A measure which, if we look in detail, conceals a certain disparity in treatment depending on the country of departure of travelers arriving on French soil.
Decryption.
What has the government decided?
During his press conference, the Prime Minister took only ten minutes to broach the subject.
Its objective is clear, it is to "drastically reduce border flows".
To achieve this, "we are going to tighten significantly the conditions of entry into the national territory and strengthen border controls", explained Jean Castex.
VIDEO. What to remember from Jean Castex's announcements of January 14
As of Monday, "all travelers who wish to come to France from a country outside the European Union, whatever it may be, will have to take a test before leaving and they will have to present a negative test to board in an airplane or a boat ”.
Contacted, the Quai d'Orsay specifies this Friday that the result of this negative test should have been carried out within 72 hours before departure.
This announcement has raised some concerns.
With Franceinfo, the president of the Haute-Savoie department called on the government on Friday to provide for exceptions to "facilitate the movement of workers between Haute-Savoie and the cantons of Geneva and Lausanne".
A debate that does not really seem to exist within the executive, where we recall from a ministerial source that the situation of border residents has "always been taken into account and will continue to be".
What about travel within the EU?
They are the exception.
“The ministers concerned will work on the development of a coordination framework for the next European Council on January 21.
This framework will have to provide for exceptions concerning border workers, road carriers or agents of transport companies within the framework of specific health protocols.
"
During his speech, Prime Minister Jean Castex particularly cited the cases of Denmark and Ireland, two countries which are causing great concern since the epidemic is soaring there.
According to information gleaned by Le Parisien, the government could still decide to accelerate the schedule.
Meetings are scheduled in the coming hours and could lead to specific measures for those countries considered to be “at risk”.
What was the diet until then?
Until now, the less than 72 hour PCR test was only mandatory for travelers arriving from a specific list of countries.
Namely South Africa, Algeria, Bahrain, China, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, United States, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Panama , the Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.
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Conversely, travelers from member countries of the European Union as well as Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Holy See and Switzerland, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, could "come to metropolitan France without health restrictions linked to Covid-19".
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For other countries, the French authorities have so far recommended presenting a negative PCR test, otherwise it could be carried out on arrival on French soil.
Travelers wishing to go to France also had to present "a certificate of exceptional international travel to mainland France" as well as a "sworn declaration that you do not show symptoms of Covid-19", can we? read on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The United Kingdom, heavily impacted by the new variant, is somewhat an exception, with the obligation to carry out a PCR test before departure, to present a sworn certificate and a travel certificate.
Only French nationals, British nationals residing in France, people traveling for professional reasons, British pupils, students and trainees "who travel to France on a daily basis" are only authorized to cross the Channel.
An obligation to isolate yourself?
The announcements made Thursday evening by Jean Castex do not stick to these considerations alone.
As of Monday, travelers arriving from countries outside the European Union "will have to undertake on their honor to isolate themselves for seven days once they arrive in France and then to repeat a second PCR test at the end".
This pledge on honor does not however legally bind the signatories.
The Prime Minister almost conceded it on Thursday.
Solitary confinement will only be compulsory for travelers coming from countries in which it would not be possible to carry out a test before departure.
"They will then be tested on their arrival on French territory will then be forced to submit to a seven-day isolation in an establishment designated by the State", specified the Prime Minister.
Why did the government not take these steps sooner?
The government has been regularly taken to task in recent months over the issue of closing its borders.
This Friday morning, again, the boss of the Republicans Christian Jacob accused the executive of having delayed too long on this ground and of not having listened to his own proposals, formulated nine months ago.
At Le Parisien, a ministerial source concedes that the appearance of new variants has somewhat changed the situation.
Before that, the doctrine of the executive was quite simple: it was the famous "the virus has no passport", which was also defended by several specialists.
The epidemiologist Pascal Crepey thus estimated last July with our colleagues at Franceinfo that the closure of the borders or the implementation of very restrictive measures such as quarantine was perhaps counterproductive.
“The virus is already there.
It wouldn't even make sense, it might even be a false good idea since it would suggest to the population that the problem comes from outside, ”he explained.