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Brits who do not live in France are also allowed to continue driving through the Eurotunnel for the time being
Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe / Getty Images
British citizens are still allowed to travel through the Eurotunnel.
France has suspended the transit ban for British citizens residing in another EU country for the time being.
The stricter corona entry rules would be relaxed "for the festive season at the end of the year," said the Interior Ministry in Paris on Thursday at the request of the AFP news agency.
The border officials had been instructed to exercise "tolerance" towards returning British travelers.
The company Eurotunnel announced on Wednesday evening that Brits residing in an EU country other than France would no longer be allowed to travel to France by car train under the English Channel.
The ferry company P&O Ferries also announced on the online service Twitter that only Britons residing in France are allowed to cross the English Channel.
The Interior Ministry in Paris initially said that the restrictions were based on the entry regulations last updated on December 18.
It is only "logical" to treat the British like all other third-country nationals and "not to allow them to pass through to another EU country."
Rail travelers with the Eurostar, which offers connections from Great Britain via France to Belgium and the Netherlands, were not affected.
Because of Brexit or Corona?
Hundreds of Brits who wanted to return to their homes in the EU after the Christmas holidays were affected by the tightening.
"I'm completely confused," said Professor Fiona Navin-Jones, who has lived in Belgium for 14 years, to the AFP news agency.
“I no longer have the right to go home.” Her impression is that the corona pandemic is being used as a pretext for something “that is actually a Brexit problem”.
The British Foreign Office asked the French authorities to clarify.
These now rowed back.
There have been several conflicts between France and Great Britain since Britain left the EU.
In particular, fisheries and migration policy are causing disputes between neighboring countries.
svs / dpa / AFP
