Thu 16 December 2021:
The “extremely rapid” rise in Omicron COVID cases in the UK has prompted a ban on British tourists visiting France.
France has banned travel to and from the United Kingdom without “compelling reasons” as of Saturday morning.
Those reasons do not include travel for tourism and business, Paris said.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said hauliers will not be affected.
“To confirm, I have liaised with my French counterpart, and hauliers will remain exempt,” he tweeted.
French nationals and their spouses are also unaffected by the new rules.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal told BFM television the measures will include reducing the validity of PCR tests to 24 hours from 48 hours for travellers arriving from Britain.
France said in a statement: “In the UK government’s own words, the UK is facing a “tidal wave” of the Omicron variant in the coming days.”
It added: “In response to the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK, the government is reinstating compelling reasons for travel to and from the UK, and strengthening the requirement for testing on departure and arrival.”
The news comes just one day after the UK reported 78,610 daily COVID-19 cases, the highest number since the outbreak began, as the highly transmissible new Omicron variant spreads.
Last Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson predicted that the country would be hit by an Omicron “tidal wave.” On Wednesday, he added that the number of Omicron cases in some areas is doubling every two days.
France has so far discovered 240 cases of the Omicron variant on its soil.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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