France eases restrictions on travellers from the UK
France has today become the latest country to lift restrictions on travellers from the UK, its foreign ministry has announced.
According to a statement from the Quai d’Orsay, travellers from the UK, as well as six other countries, will no longer need a “compelling reason” to travel to France.
However, people will still be required to fulfil all other criteria, including evidence of a negative Covid-19 test less than 72 hours before travel.
The other countries subject to eased restrictions are Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Israel, Japan, and Singapore.
Tourism Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said that the UK was included on the list because the so-called Kent variant of coronavirus was now widely circulating in France.
That is the same reason that the Dutch government gave earlier this week when it lifted bans on commercial flights and ferries from the UK.
In reality, the easing of restrictions will have little impact on travel between the two nations.
Boris Johnson has earmarked 17 May as the earliest date from which international travel for leisure purposes can begin for the UK.
In recent days, a spate of countries have announced plans to welcome international travellers back to their shores ahead of the summer.
Spain, Greece, and Cyprus, all of which have economies which rely on tourist revenues, have said they will welcome people from May.
Despite the easing of restrictions, the French government said that said that in general it strongly recommends limiting international travel as much as possible.