PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says he foresees at least some tourists returning to Paris this summer if they’ve gotten vaccinated or have proof of testing negative for the coronavirus as France moves to progressively lift infection-control restrictions.
“We’re building a certificate to facilitate travel after these restrictions between the different European nations with testing and vaccination,” Macron mentioned in an interview that aired Sunday on the CBS News show “Face the Nation.”
Macron spoke as the French government is preparing to impose tough, new entry restrictions on travelers from 4 nations — Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and Brazil — in hopes of keeping out especially contagious virus variants. The number of nations on the list could grow, France’s overseas minister mentioned Saturday.
The restrictions include mandatory 10-day quarantines with police checks to ensure individuals arriving in France observe the requirement. Travelers from all 4 nations will be restricted to French nationals and their families, EU citizens, and others with a permanent home in France.
France previously suspended all flights from Brazil. The suspension will be lifted next Saturday, after 10 days, and the new restrictions “progressively” put in place by then, the government mentioned. The flight suspension for Brazil will be lifted followed by the “drastic measures” for entering France from all 4 nations, plus the French territory of Guiana, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian mentioned.
Macron, summarizing the French approach, mentioned “the plan is always to control the virus, to maximize the vaccination and to progressively lift the restrictions.”
France has been among the hardest-hit European nations and is now guarding against highly contagious variants, notably deciding to target 4 nations at present.
The 4 nations “are the most dangerous in terms of the number of variants that exist and within the evolution of the pandemic in these nations,” Le Drian mentioned Saturday on the France 3 television station.
The list of countries subject to tougher border checks might be extended, he mentioned.
Under the new restrictions, travelers should provide an address for where they plan to observe the 10-day confinement period and police will make visits and fine those who are found in violation, the government mentioned.
Along with the mandatory quarantine, France is requiring extra stringent testing for the coronavirus. Travelers must show proof of a negative PCR test taken less than 36 hours instead of 72 hours before they boarded a flight, or a negative antigen test less than 24 hours
France has reported the deaths of 100,00 individuals in the COVID-19 pandemic.
A variant first identified in England spread to continental Europe and is now responsible for about 80% of the virus cases in France, whereas the variants are first seen in Brazil and South Africa make up less than 4% of French infections, Health Minister Olivier Veran mentioned last week.
