Covid-19: from Tuesday, a negative 24-hour test mandatory to go overseas

The rules are getting tougher for travelers wishing to go to French overseas territories.

As of Tuesday, "all passengers going to the Overseas Territories will be required to present a negative, PCR or antigenic test on boarding, less than twenty-four hours," announced on Friday. Ministry of Overseas.

This new measure "is necessary in order to protect the overseas territories from the new epidemic wave under the effect of the Omicron variant", he justifies.

Until then, the tests were compulsory for all travelers going to these territories from France, but the rule varied according to the vaccination status.

A PCR test of less than 48 hours or an antigen test of less than 72 hours was required of vaccinated people, when unvaccinated people had to present a negative test within 24 hours.

This time, everyone is in the same boat.

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The other big novelty lies in the fact that the travelers concerned are not only those who leave from metropolitan France, but from all the countries of the world. The measure is valid "for trips from France, as from all foreign countries," said the statement from the ministry. Until then, only restrictions "decided locally by the representative of the State or the competent authority" applied.

The bill transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass, presented to the Council of Ministers on Monday, also plans to extend the state of health emergency until March 31, 2022 in Martinique and to declare it until the same date at The meeting.

It is specified in the text "that in the event of declaration of a state of health emergency in another ultra-marine community before March 1, 2022, this state of emergency will also apply until March 31, 2022" .