New travel rules leave British tourists banned from entering France
The rules restricting travel kick in from Friday night
Thousands of British tourists are having their Christmas plans ruined as restrictions for entering France come into force from this weekend.
New limits on where British tourists can go will be imposed over this coming weekend, specifically to one of the UK's closest neighbours, as the UK tries to contain the Omicron variant.
From 11pm GMT on Friday (December 17th), France will ban all but essential travel to and from the United Kingdom.
In a statement from the French Government, officials said it would no longer allow travel to France for tourism or business reasons. Lorry drivers, however, will be exempt from the new restrictions.
"In the face of the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the United Kingdom, the government has chosen to reinstate compelling reasons for travel to and from the United Kingdom, and to strengthen the requirement for testing on departure and arrival," the government said.
Anyone wanting to travel to France from the UK will need to show a negative PCR Covid test taken no more than 24 hours before departure.
In addition, once in France, anyone arriving will need to take another PCR test at the airport, before being required to self-isolate for seven days. This period can be reduced to 48 hours if the second test comes back negative.
The French government said that in the UK's own words, Britain is facing a 'tidal wave' of Omicron, and therefore is bringing in the necessary measures to stop the increasing number of cases reaching France.
Despite the imposition of the new rules, the limits do not apply to French citizens and their spouses residing in France, who are able to continue travelling to and from the country. Travel to the UK from France, however, is heavily discouraged.
The measures come as the UK fights to control the Omicron variant. On Wednesday (December 15th), the UK recorded its highest daily figure for cases since the start of the pandemic, with over 78,000 cases confirmed.
As part of the battle to stop the spread, the government has committed to offering all adults a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine by the end of 2021. Those aged 12 to 18 are also eligible to receive a second dose.