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HEALTH

France suspends all travel from UK as ‘precautionary measure’ over new Covid strain

France has joined Germany and Italy in announcing a complete ban on travel from the UK after a new strain of Covid-19 was discovered. France will ban all road, rail, sea and air travel from the UK for an initial period of 48 hours.

France suspends all travel from UK as 'precautionary measure' over new Covid strain
Photo: AFP

France joins a long list of countries to have banned travel from the UK over fears of the new Covid strain, which the UK government says could be up to 70 percent more contagious.

France's health minister Oliver Véran said there was as yet no proof that the new variant is more contagious, but France was taking precautionary measures.

He told Europe 1 radio on Monday morning: “It's the same virus, but whose genetic code has been a little disrupted, […] which happens quite frequently.

“This variation of the virus has been identified in an area of England where we are also witnessing a high level of virus circulation.

“English scientists wonder whether this new variant could be more contagious than the others, they have no proof, but you understand that we take all the necessary precautions.”

Germany will also suspend air links with Britain “from midnight”, the health minister said on Sunday whilst in Italy Health Minister Roberto Speranza stated announced he had signed an ordinance “which blocks flights from Great Britain and prohibits entry into Italy of people who have stayed there during the last 14 days”.

France's ban covers travel by air, road, rail and sea and came into operation at midnight on Sunday.

READ ALSO France's UK travel ban – who is affected and what happens next?

Only unaccompanied freight will be allowed into France.

Transport from France to the UK is not affected.

The initial ban will be for 48 hours while France talks to fellow EU member states and works on putting in place extra controls at the border.

Transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on Monday morning that a protocol will be put in place “within the next few hours”.

 READ MORE: Germany to stop all flights in and out of UK starting midnight Sunday

READ MORE: Italy suspends air travel with UK over new coronavirus strain

The statement from French Prime Minister Jean Castex said: “The 48-hour time limit is intended to achieve two objectives:

“To allow time for coordination between EU Member States in order to define a common doctrine on the regulation and control of travel from the United Kingdom;

“To prepare operationally for the secure reopening of traffic flow from the United Kingdom from December 22nd, based on a mandatory testing system at the start of the journey.

“We will pay particular attention to the specific situation of French nationals who plan to return to France to spend the festive season with their families. We are already encouraging them to make arrangements for a PCR test in the coming days.”

 

The Netherlands, Ireland, Bulgaria, Austria and Belgium have already suspended flights from the UK.

France's government convened a meeting of the Defence Council – which deals with health restrictions – on Sunday evening to discuss the issue.

Discussions have been ongoing on Sunday between French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel in Brussels.

Germany announced on Sunday afternoon that it will ban all flights from the UK and South Africa – where the new virus strain has also been reported – from midnight on Sunday. The ban will last until January 6th.

The new variant of the Covid-19 virus is believed to have first appeared in the London and Kent areas in September, and is reported to be up to 70 percent more contagious than other strains.

The variant was cited by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the reason behind last-minute changes to health restrictions in London and South East England, announced on Saturday, which have seen thousands of people unable to travel as planned over Christmas.

The French government said: “It is not clear at this stage that the so-called “rapid” spread of this mutation in the United Kingdom is linked to an intrinsic property of this virus. The fact that this strain is more contagious has not been demonstrated at this stage.”

“However,” the statement added, “on Saturday December 19th, against the backdrop of the acceleration of the epidemic in the UK over the past few days, British health authorities notified the World Health Organisation (WHO) of the information that this mutation could possibly be more contagious than the other variants of SARS-CoV-2.

“This is why, following a Defence Council meeting chaired by the President, it was decided to suspend all passenger travel, including freight transport, by road, air, sea or rail from the United Kingdom for 48 hours from midnight (Paris time) this evening – December 20th.”

Following the UK's announcement on Saturday, the Dutch government announced on Sunday morning that it was banning all flights from the UK until January 1st.

The Belgian, Bulgarian and Italian governments followed suit, with Italy banning all flights from the UK and the entry of anyone who had been in the UK in the last 14 days.

Ireland has also announced it will be suspending all flights and ferries from the UK, for an initial period of 48 hours.

On the question of whether there should be a coordinated EU response, European commissioner Thierry Breton said the issue was one of individual member states to decide.

He said: “It is very difficult to take decisions for 456 million people at the same time. It is in Kent that we discover this change, but chould it have repercussions in the Czech Republic, Romania or Greece.

“We will continue, and this is our strength, to deal with our differences (…). It is the Member States that decide, and then we try to draw up the best practices to apply them.”

Most countries had specified that only air travel would be affected, but a large proportion of travel between France and the UK is via Eurostar, ferry or the Channel Tunnel – the French announcement makes it clear that all these methods of travel will be affected.

For most people, travel between the UK and France has only been possible since December 15th when France lifted its lockdown.

Travellers from the UK already face the possibility of a ban on non-essential travel from January 1st, when the UK will be outside the EU and therefore covered by the closure of the Bloc's external borders, which has been in place since March.

Member comments

  1. This mutations was only a matter of time. Thank you to all those who ignored advice about continuing to wear masks, keep social distance and large meetings, and washing hands. You’ve helped make a bad situation worse. It was simple, it was clear, but many people I saw in May/June ignored it. This new strain seems particularly virulent. I can’t see flight and train bans keeping it out of Europe for long.

  2. Just stop everything from the UK, all forms of transport. Every hour matters.

    EU should blanket ban all travel to and from UK.

  3. those Britons retreating towards the Channel ports should stay calm and gather along the promenades of Dunkirk & De Panne (Belgium) and await further orders as best they can. They should be reassured that HMG & Ministry of Defence (and with the kind supporting advice of senior People Trafficers) are doing their very best to ensure their safe return to Blighty hopefully by 31 December 2020. If they have access to a
    radio or internet there will be a message of support & encouragement from HM The Queen. No time is yet fixed. God speed all

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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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