New screw on travel, three weeks before the start of the February vacation.
The restrictions and constraints on departure, towards the French overseas departments and territories in particular, and on arrival in the national territory, announced last Thursday by Jean Castex, come into force on Monday, January 18.
In question, the deterioration of the health situation, and the concern about the variants of Covid-19, which pushes many countries to tighten the restrictions, from curfew to confinement, sometimes including the closure of borders.
The government at this stage
“totally and strictly”
advises against
any travel to a foreign country.
Concretely, the authorities are strengthening the conditions for entry into the national territory as of Monday, including for French people returning from abroad.
Presentation of a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours and isolation for 7 days before retesting is becoming the norm for travelers from any non-EU country.
For the moment, intra-European travel is an exception.
But the schedule is expected to accelerate.
However, the executive wishes to coordinate with its partners in the Union.
The subject is on the menu of the European Council on January 21.
During his speech, the Prime Minister indicated that the health situation in countries such as Ireland and Denmark worried the French authorities.
Read also: Be careful, your mask could be a problem on an airplane
While reservations for the winter holidays were throbbing to a number of destinations (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dubai, etc.) where life takes on a semblance of normalcy, and travelers still hold the equivalent of several hundred million euros in deposit with agencies and tour operators, these restrictions are in effect
“until further notice”
.
An indeterminate timescale that alarms all travel professionals, whose morale is plummeting.
The mountain world is still waiting for the decision on whether to open the ski lifts, while reservations for ski holidays are at their lowest.
The Prime Minister is due to speak on the subject on Wednesday, January 20, at the end of a Defense Council.
As for the establishment of a vaccine passport to facilitate travel, pushed by Greece for the summer season, several members of the government have indicated their reluctance at this stage, like the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune.
Arrival in the DOM-TOM: Martinique, Guadeloupe and Mayotte impose isolation
Caravelle beach, in Guadeloupe.
Many French tourists are planning trips to the French West Indies for the February holidays.
In addition to the previous negative PCR test, an isolation on site and a new test are now required.
Jakob Fischer / Jakob Fischer - stock.adobe.com
While more than 100,000 people went there for the end of year celebrations,
Martinique
hardened from this Monday, January 18, its entry conditions.
Travelers from all origins, including the metropolis, must, in addition to the mandatory negative PCR test of less than 72 hours already required, undergo strict confinement for seven days, before performing a new test.
For the prefect Stanislas Cazelles, it is
"to avoid the introduction of the English variant by a traveler who would be carrying the virus, but who would not have been tested positively on departure"
.
Only travelers from Guadeloupe are not subject to these new measures.
Following the same logic, all travelers disembarking in
Guadeloupe
(except those coming from Martinique), must now commit themselves "on the honor" to respecting a 7-day isolation of the same nature as the "contact cases", in addition to the negative PCR test.
Passengers between Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy or Guadeloupe and Guyana must also justify, in both directions, a compelling reason for boarding.
Air flows between Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyana are however restricted given the very worrying health situation of the largest overseas territory, bordering Brazil.
The Amazonian variant, which greatly worries the South American continent, has already infected a resident in Guyana.
Travelers returning from
the French Antilles
(except Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy) must, without this being compulsory, submit to seven days of self-isolation in mainland France and limit unnecessary travel.
They are also strongly encouraged to be tested between 2 and 4 days after their return for reasons of public health.
In
Mayotte
, a detected case of the South African variant prompted the authorities to take a radical measure: the suspension of international sea and air links until January 31.
Another case of this South African variant was also detected in
Reunion
, on a passenger coming from the Comoros.
The prefecture announced in a press release that “anyone who has traveled to Mayotte, Comoros and Mozambique in the last fourteen days will be asked to carry out a PCR test as soon as possible”.
However, many trips between the two islands remain authorized for people with a
"compelling reason"
.
Arrival in Corsica: mandatory PCR test
To avoid an epidemic resurgence, the special system set up by the Isle of Beauty for the end of the year celebrations has already been extended until February 8.
All travelers wishing to travel to Corsica by sea or air must present a negative PCR test carried out at most 72 hours before departure before boarding.
Any passenger over 11 from the mainland must also complete a sworn declaration of absence of symptoms.
“On the strength of our summer experience, we insisted on maintaining this measure.
Health security is the first criterion for attracting a destination at the moment, our island has everything to gain from it, ”
supports Nanette Maupertuis, director of the Corsica Tourism Agency.
Read also: Travel to Corsica: Covid tests remain mandatory
Arrival from a country in the European area: no test required for the moment
Portugal (here Lisbon) has just partially reconfigured itself.
For the moment, no screening test is required when arriving in France from a country in the European zone, apart from the specific case of the United Kingdom.
But that could change.
jasckal - stock.adobe.com
For travelers returning from a country in the European area (Member States of the European Union, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican ...), no screening test n is currently required on arrival in mainland France.
This exemption applies to both French nationals and foreigners.
All travelers returning from the UK must have a negative PCR test within 72 hours to enter France.
The French authorities nevertheless wish in the long term to require negative tests from Europeans entering French territory.
"
It is possible that tests are required for intra-European travel,
"
Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune
told
Le Figaro
on
Friday
.
An idea that he again defended Sunday on France Info: “
We plan to strengthen control measures within the European area.
[…] We also check the type of tests that we can require.
We are considering a list of antigenic tests that would be recognized throughout Europe.
The measure would not apply to certain categories of people, including cross-border workers.
EU countries are expected to coordinate at the European Council on January 21.
Travel within the European Union remains possible, although international travel is “
strictly discouraged
” by the French authorities.
Most EU countries require a negative test (Spain, Germany, Italy ...) and / or impose a quarantine (Ireland, Netherlands ...) to French people on arrival.
Some countries have re-confined or extended their containment measures, as is the case of Austria and Portugal.
For its part, Italy has just postponed the opening date for ski resorts, scheduled for Monday, January 18.
See also
- Clément Beaune on the obligation of tests inside the EU: "It is under discussion"
Arrival from a country outside the European area: mandatory PCR test and isolation before re-screening
The authorities are tightening the conditions for entry into France from countries outside the European area (the latter including Andorra, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland, Monaco, Liechtenstein, etc.) or from a list very limited to a dozen countries defined by the European Council on December 16 (New Zealand, Singapore, Rwanda, South Korea ...) from January 18.
All travelers wishing to come to France from these states must perform a PCR test less than 72 hours before leaving.
This obligation also concerns French people returning to France.
Travelers will also have to "
undertake on their honor to isolate themselves for 7 days once arrived, and repeat a PCR test at the end
" of this septaine.
In the rare countries where it is not possible to carry out a PCR test, a screening system will be set up on arrival in France with a compulsory septaine in a place of accommodation validated by the public authorities.
No change, however, in terms of departures abroad.
Travel outside of Europe is advised against by the government, but not prohibited.
As long as you meet the entry conditions imposed by local authorities.
They vary by state, from a simple declaration on their honor to quarantine through the PCR test, while many countries such as the United States, Peru or Australia keep their borders closed to tourists.
The global trend remains the tightening of entry conditions for French nationals, faced with the evolution of the pandemic.
But on January 18, French tourists can go to several destinations such as Dubai, Tanzania or Brazil.
Except that now, the return is very complicated.
See also
- "
We must use it to open the country
": François Bayrou in favor of the deployment of a vaccination passport
