New aspect in the tensions between France and the United Kingdom.
Travelers fully vaccinated against Covid-19 arriving in England from the European Union and the United States will now be exempt from quarantine, a measure demanded by the tourism sector and expatriates, the British government announced on Wednesday.
However, people arriving from France are excluded from this announcement.
The measure will come into effect from Monday at 4 a.m. (0300 GMT), Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Twitter.
“We help people living in the US and European countries to reunite with family and friends in the UK,” he wrote in a tweet.
He adds that even being fully vaccinated, these travelers will have to continue to do a PCR test before their arrival, and another two days after.
We're helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK 👪
From 2nd August at 4am people from these countries will be able to come to the England from an amber country without having to quarantine if they ' re fully vaxxed 💉
- Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) July 28, 2021
It is a false joy for the many French people who were waiting for a relaxation of travel arrangements.
"Separate rules will continue to apply for arrivals from France," the ministry said in a statement.
On the UK government website, these rules refer to 10 days of quarantine after arriving in the UK.
Concerns about the Beta variant, yet very much in the minority in metropolitan France
This decision by the British leaders is said to be due to their concerns about the South African variant Beta. However, this variant represents less than 5% of new positive cases in France according to sequencing data communicated by Public Health France. It is admittedly in the majority in Réunion, but has very little presence in mainland France. It is already for this reason that the United Kingdom announced last week that its residents would not be exempt from quarantine when returning from France, while this was the case for several European countries such as Italy or Spain. .
With 144,084 French people registered in the United Kingdom, it is the third territory welcoming the most expatriates from France.
This news would therefore have been a source of joy for many French people, especially after the United States announced that it would not reopen its borders immediately.
we will soon be able to return to England without quarantine ?????
do not give me false hopes I will cry for joy
- sarah (@noticeoflouis) July 28, 2021
The announcement comes as the UK sees a silver lining in the decline in the number of Covid-19 cases, after weeks of alarming increases.
A situation that several epidemiologists qualify as "puzzling".
