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COVID-19 RULES

French government: No new Covid restrictions for Christmas

There will be no new Covid restrictions announced in France before Christmas, but the government spokesman has announced that the situation will be reevaluated on Monday in light of the Omicron variant.

Published: 22 December 2021 14:51 CET

The French government spokesperson, Gabriel Attal, has said there would not be any extra Covid-19 restrictions announced before Christmas. But he warned that the government would reevaluate the situation on Monday.

The French government spokesperson, Gabriel Attal, has said there would not be any extra Covid-19 restrictions announced before Christmas. But he warned that the government would reevaluate the situation on Monday. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday that there will not be any further Covid restrictions announced before Christmas, but warned that the government would reevaluate the situation on Monday, December 27th.

“If we considered extra measures to be necessary, we would have already announced them,” he said following a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

Rising levels of infection driven by the Omicron variant mean that at the current rate, France could reach 100,000 new daily cases by the end of the year. The government previously anticipated that around 4,000 people will be in intensive care over the festive period.

New Year’s Eve concerts and fireworks have already been cancelled in France, and nightclubs closed, but further restrictions could still be imposed around the New Year weekend.

EXPLAINED Health rules ans official advice for Christmas and New Year in France

The government made all children between the ages of 5-11 eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine earlier on Wednesday.

From January 3rd the obligatory waiting time for people who have already had two shots to receive a booster will be shortened from five months to four months. And from January 15th, the clock will start ticking for everyone over 18 to receive a booster dose or risk having their health pass deactivated.

The government plans to transform the health pass into a vaccine pass by the end of January, subject to approval in the French parliament.

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France scraps compulsory self-isolation after positive Covid test

Starting on February 1st, Covid rules relaxed in France as the country brought an end to compulsory isolation for those who test positive for the virus.

However, those travelling from China to France will still be required to agree to a random screening upon arrival and to isolate in the case of a positive Covid-19 test result. Travellers aged 11 and over coming from China must also provide a negative test result (less tan 48 hours) prior to boarding and those aged six and over must agree to wear a mask on board flights. These regulations – which was set to last until January 31st – is set to remain in place until February 15th.

The French public health body (The Direction générale de la santé or DGS) announced the change on Saturday in a decree published in the “Journal Officiel” outlining the various ways the body will loosen previous coronavirus restrictions.

READ MORE: What Covid rules and recommendations remain for visiting France?

Those who were in contact with someone who tested positive – ie a contact cases – will also no longer be required to take a test, though the public health body stressed that both testing after contact and isolating after receiving a positive test remain recommended.

Previously, even asymptomatic people who had been in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 were required to test on the second day after being notified that they were a “contact-case”.

These changes took effect on February 1st.

READ MORE: What changes in France in February 2023?

The DGS also said that website SI-DEP, which records test results, will remain in operation until June 30th, however starting in February it will only collect personal data with the express permission of the patient.

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Additionally, the French government announced that sick leave procedures for people with Covid-19 would return to normal starting February 1st – this means that those who test positive for Covid-19 now also have the three-day wait period before daily sick benefits are required to be paid, as is usually the case. Previously, people with Covid-19 could expect daily sick benefits to begin at the start of their sick leave period (arrêt maladie in French).

READ MORE: How sick leave pay in France compares to other countries in Europe

Covid tests are still available on walk-in basis from most pharmacies are are free to people who are fully vaccinated and registered in the French health system. Unvaccinated people, or visitors to France, have to pay up to a maximum of €22 for an antigen test of €49 for a PCR test.

If you recently tested positive for Covid-19 in France – or you suspect you may have contracted Covid-19 – you can find some information for how to proceed here.

In explaining the changes that began at the start of February, the French public health body also noted a drop in Covid-19 infections in the past month. As of January 30th, approximately 3,800 people in France had tested positive in the previous 24 hours for the coronavirus – which represents a decrease from the averages of 20,000 new cases per day about one month ago.

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