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HEALTH

LATEST: Which countries impose quarantine and compulsory Covid-19 tests on arrivals from France?

With France battling a second wave of Covid-19, a growing number of countries are warning against travel to the country and imposing quarantine arrivals. Here's a look at the latest situation anyone travelling abroad from France should be aware of.

LATEST: Which countries impose quarantine and compulsory Covid-19 tests on arrivals from France?
Travellers from France do not have the green light for all countries. Photo: AFP

As France reports steadily increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases, several countries have taken action to impose quarantines on arrivals from the country or certain hard-hit regions.

The quarantine rules are based on the country you are travelling from, not your nationality, so anyone traveling from France will be subject to these rules, not just French people.

Here's a roundup of the restrictions in place

Germany

On August 24th Germany added two areas of France 'risk list'. These were the greater Paris region of Île-de-France and the Riviera region of Provence-Alpes-Côtes d'Azur.

Anyone arriving in Germany from these regions faces compulsory Covid-19 testing. Up until now affected travellers have had to be tested within 72 hours.

But from October 15th, affected travellers from risk zones coming to Germany will be ordered to go into a 14-day quarantine period. This can be ended with a negative coronavirus test. However, that test can only be carried out after the fifth day of returning to Germany at the earliest.

On September 9th the German government also added the regions of Occitanie, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Corsica to the list of high-risk areas, therefore requiring travellers quarantine until they receive a negative Covid-19 test.

The implementation of this and the rules around it lies with the individual German states. Please contact the health department of the state you are visiting or living in for detailed information.

Belgium

On September 16th Belgium introduced new travel warning for the two northern départemants of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, which were classed as “red zones”.

Brussels advised against travel to the two départements and said returning travellers would have to observe a period of quarantine and be tested for coronavirus.

Travellers must fill out this form.

The measure does not affect cross-border workers however.

This adds to a long list of départements classed red zones by Belgium.

They are: Paris, Ain, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Corse-du-Sud, Côte-d'Or, Essonne, Gard, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Gironde, Haute-Corse, Haute-Garonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Hérault, Loiret, Martinique, Réunion, Rhône, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-d’Oise, Val-de-Marne, Vaucluse, Var, Yvelines.

And from Friday September 18th Brussels says the following départements will be classed as red and subject to quarantine and test measures: Aveyron, Gers, Ille-et-Vilaine, Indre-et-Loire, Isère, Loire, Maine-et-Loire, Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Puy-de-Dôme, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pyrénées-Orientales, Sarthe, Seine-Maritime, Tarn-et-Garonne and Vienne.

More info in French here.

Switzerland

On September 11th  Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset announced that arrivals from French regions of Centre-Val de Loire, Hauts-de-France, Île de France, Normandy, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Pays de la Loire, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur would be subjected to a 10-day period of quarantine.

The French island of Corsica was also added to the list.

“We have seen a number of new infections in France, which are today already higher that the numbers in March and April,” Berset said, stressing that “this is a situation to take seriously… We're trying to keep the pandemic under control.”

At the same time, he said, the government had sought a “pragmatic” approach and thus exempted the border regions in France and other neighbouring countries from the order, set to take effect from Monday.

“The idea is to preserve life along the borders where people live and work,” he said, pointing to heavy cross-border trade, as well as the many people who live on one side of the border but work on the other.

For more on Switzerland's quarantine rules for travellers from France click here.

Norway

Norway announced that anyone who arrives from France and Switzerland from Saturday, August 8th must observe a 10-day quarantine.

The country lifted its quarantine requirements for European arrivals on July 15th, but has since reimposed them for travellers from the vast majority of EEA and Schengen area countries (including France), as well as the UK.

Finland

Finland still has strict entry restrictions in place banning all non-essential travel. You can only travel to Finland from France if you can prove either residency in Finland, a family link or a professional reason for travel. Holidays and leisure trips are not allowed.

Ireland

Travellers arriving from France are required to observe a 14-day quarantine on arrival. This can be done in your home or the place where you are staying, but you should restrict movements and social contact as much as possible You will need to provide information on arrival concerning where you will quarantine and the Irish government says that “checks will be carried out to ensure compliance with this measure”.

Iceland

Iceland also has a 14-day quarantine in place for all arrivals from France who were born before 2005. However there is an option to be tested at the airport and, if the test is negative, you will then not have to quarantine

Denmark

Denmark's foreign ministry is currently advising against all non-essential travel to France.

This means that, although there is no quarantine, restrictions are in place for travellers arriving from France. People who live in countries to which Denmark advises against travel are required to provide a so-called “worthy” reason for entering Denmark. This can include work or family reasons but not tourism. Detailed guidance can be found in English on the Danish police website here.

Greece 

Greece also has border restrictions and screening at airports. Although there is no quarantine in place you will have to fill out a travel form 48 hours before your journey

UK

The UK imposed a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France from August 15th until further notice. You can find full details of how the quarantine rules work here.

READ ALSO Your questions answered about the UK and France quarantines

Italy

On September 21st Italy's minister of health Roberto Speranza said he had passed a decree meaning that travellers from 7 regions of France would have to be tested for Covid-19 on arrival in the country.

The seven regions covered by the new measure are: Île-de-France, which include the capital Paris, Auvergne-Rhône Alpes in central/eastern France, the island of Corsica, Hauts-de-France in the north, Nouvelle-Acquitaine and Occitanie in the west and south west and the French Riviera region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

READ ALSO  What are the Covid-19 rules for travelling between France and Italy?

Netherlands

Passengers arriving from France's two 'red zones' – Paris and the Bouches-du-Rhône département which includes Marseilles – are being told to quarantine for 14 days when arriving in the Netherlands.

Malta

Arrivals from Paris and Marseille airports will have to be tested and quarantined unless they hcan produce a negative test result carried at least 72 hours before arrival.

It's also worth noting that many countries such as Australia and Canada enforce quarantine on all arrivals, so if you are travelling there from France you will have to self-isolate either at a specific location or in government organised accommodation.

 

Member comments

  1. Whilst I understand people wishing to ‘holiday’ in the Nordic Countries, why do folk want to leave this beautiful country anyway ? Been here 17 years and neither my wife nor I want to leave !

  2. Iceland has actually updated their rules. You’re tested at the airport, quarantine for 4-5 days, then a second test.

  3. ukdave, I don’t understand anyone wanted to holiday outside of their own country at the moment. It seems more hassle than it is worth, with ever changing rules, from one country to the next and the potential to be locked down somewhere due to an outbreak.

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games periods, some 185km of lanes on roads around Paris will be reserved for event-related traffic – here’s what you need to know.

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Between July 15th and September 11th, ‘Olympic lanes’ will be in use along certain stretches of key roads in and around Paris.

These lanes will be reserved for use by accredited vehicles to transport athletes, accredited journalists and official delegations, as well as emergency and security vehicles, cabs, ambulances and public transport.

READ ALSO Apps, reservations and flying taxis: What to know before visiting Paris this summer

The lanes will be activated on July 15, on the following roads:

  • A1 between Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Porte de la Chapelle, until September 11th;
  • A4 between Collégien and Porte de Bercy until August 13th, then from August 30th to September 8th;
  • A12 between Rocquencourt and Montigny le Bretonneux until August 13th, and again from August 27th to September 8th;
  • A13 between Porte Maillot and Rocquencourt until August 13th, then from August 27th to September 8th;
  • Boulevard périphérique, from Porte de Vanves to Porte de Bercy, via the north until August 13th, then from August 22th to September 11th;
  • Boulevard Circulaire (La Défense) until August 13th, then from August 22nd to September 11th;
  • Lanes on certain routes in Paris.

None of these roads will be closed – lanes along these routes that are not reserved for Olympic or Paralympic Games traffic are open to road users as usual.

The lanes in question will be signposted – signs, clearly marked with the words “Paris 2024”, will be in place from July 1st, and will be removed by the end of the day on September 15h. 

READ ALSO How to use Paris public transport during the Olympics

Who can use dedicated Olympic lanes?

Only vehicles and road users that have been properly accredited by the Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games can travel along these lanes during the periods indicated above. 

They include:

  • vehicles of accredited persons;
  • cabs;
  • public transport vehicles;
  • vehicles designed to facilitate the transport of people with reduced mobility;
  • and emergency and security vehicles.

READ ALSO Who needs a QR code to get around Paris during the Olympics

All other vehicles are prohibited from using these lanes throughout the Olympic Games period. Any vehicle circulating on an Olympic lane without having received prior authorisation is liable to a fine of €135 and possible further prosecution.

Road users without Olympic accreditation are advised to be aware of possible travel issues, as more vehicles are filtered into the other lanes. Therefore it would be wise to allow a little extra time for your journey if you are using one of the listed roads during the Games period.

An interactive map, showing routes with Olympic lanes is available here

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