France revokes COVID-related transit ban for British nationals of other EU countries

France on Thursday suspended the new COVID-related travel ban for British nationals travelling to their home in another European Union (EU) country, a move that confused thousands of travellers last week. In a statement released by the interior ministry of France, the border authorities mentioned they would "show tolerance" to allow "these nationals" to move through France to reach their residence in an EU country after Christmas and New Year period. The announcement came after Germany too loosened rules for British visitors.

On 16 December, France made an announcement blocking British tourists from entering French territory in the wake of rising COVID infections, coinciding with Omicron. France had announced a complete ban on UK-France leisure travel with scanty exemptions, wrecking plans of thousands of holidaymakers. The British Embassy last week took to Twitter and informed that "UK nationals may only transit France if travelling by air." Brits travelling by car to reach EU countries like Netherlands and Belgium were turned back by French border officials on 17 December. The strict no-transit rule caused severe difficulties for those returning home from the UK.

The French government also announced a list of "compelling reasons" that would have allowed Britishers to transit through France. The rules applied to both vaccinated and unvaccinated British citizens. "People cannot travel for tourism or professional reasons," the French Interior Ministry said.

COVID-19 infections in France and UK

Both UK and France have witnessed a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections in the past week. While France crossed the 1,00,000 daily threshold for the first time since the pandemic hit two years ago infections, the UK on Thursday tolled over 2 lakh Omicron cases. Meanwhile, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) took to Twitter to announce that the "last daily Omicron variant overview will be reported on Friday, 31 December. As data has shown that Omicron cases now constitute more than 90% of all community COVID-19 cases in England, our daily dashboard will provide the most updated info on COVID-19 case figures."

Meanwhile, France on Wednesday clocked 2,02,293 new cases, French Health Minister Oliver Veran told lawmakers. The hospitals have also remained overwhelmed with worrying Delta variant cases, he added. In an attempt to restrict further community transmission, French PM Jean Castex earlier this week announced fresh new restrictions to be followed throughout the weekend. The curbs have been extended for a minimum of 3 weeks as of now.

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