New turn of the screw in France.
While the Delta variant is progressing on the territory, the country will impose Covid-19 tests of less than 24 hours for unvaccinated people entering its territory from several European countries.
This concerns travelers from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and the Netherlands, Matignon announced on Saturday.
This measure will come into force Sunday at 00:00, specifies a press release from Prime Minister Jean Castex.
In detail, people arriving from the UK are so far subject to a test of less than 48 hours.
The deadline is 72 hours for those coming from Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Greece.
“At the same time, and because the vaccines are effective against the virus, and in particular its variant Delta, the constraints weighing on travelers benefiting from a complete vaccination schedule with a vaccine recognized by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Janssen) will be lifted from this Saturday, July 17, regardless of the country of origin, ”continues Matignon.
A list of countries in the enlarged red zone
As a reminder, the vaccination schedule is now considered complete after the injection of two doses (or one dose for people who have already contracted the virus) and a period of seven days.
However, for the Janssen single dose vaccine, the schedule remains complete after injection and a period of 28 days.
At the same time, the list of countries placed in the red zone has also been extended to Tunisia, Mozambique, Cuba and Indonesia, notes Matignon.
For unvaccinated travelers from these countries, they must, in accordance with the rules in force, be able to justify a compelling reason, present proof of test on departure, and perform a test on arrival, as well as observe a 10-day controlled quarantine once on French soil.
Read also Covid-19: why is Tunisia, classified red by France, facing a "catastrophic" situation?
The restrictions are multiplying as Covid-19 contaminations continue to climb.
On Friday, the number of cases rose above the 10,000 mark under the effect of the Delta variant, while hospitalizations were still down slightly, according to figures from Public Health France.