France and India Variants Spread in UK, Entry Restrictions Decided

French health officials are conducting COVID-19 tests on cargo truck drivers attempting to enter France at the Port of Dover, UK. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the Indian COVID-19 variant spreads in the UK, France has started to lock its doors to arrivals from the UK, following Germany.

The French government announced on the 26th that from the 31st (local time), foreign nationals without residency status in France must have a government-recognized urgent reason to enter France from the UK.

Even if an urgent reason is recognized and entry from the UK is permitted, travelers must submit a negative COVID-19 test result issued within 48 hours prior to arrival and undergo a 7-day self-quarantine.

Currently, France has designated countries where COVID-19 variants are rapidly spreading, such as Brazil, India, and South Africa, as mandatory self-quarantine countries.

Those entering France from these countries must report their quarantine location to authorities, and the police may conduct unannounced inspections. Violations of self-quarantine can result in fines ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 euros (approximately 1.36 million to 2.05 million KRW). However, since the COVID-19 incidence rate in the UK is low, France does not plan to inspect quarantine locations for arrivals from the UK for the time being.

Gabriel Attal, spokesperson for the French government, stated, "A new situation has arisen with the spread of the Indian variant from the UK," and explained that other European Union (EU) member countries like Germany are taking similar measures. Germany designated the UK as a variant virus area on the 21st. Accordingly, even if a COVID-19 test result is negative, those entering Germany from the UK must self-quarantine for two weeks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.