Fully vaccinated arrivals from France to England must continue to quarantine

Anyone arriving from France to England must continue to quarantine for 10 days at home or in other accommodation, even if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

From:

Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Transport

• Measures for arrivals from France will remain in place from 19 July

• Arrivals from France must continue to quarantine in their own accommodation for 10 days and complete a day 2 and day 8 test, regardless of vaccination status

Anyone arriving from France to England must continue to quarantine for 10 days, at home or in other accommodation, even if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

From Monday 19 July, UK residents arriving from

amber countries who are fully vaccinated will no longer have to quarantine, although they will still need to comply with necessary testing requirements. However, this will not apply to France following the persistent presence of cases in France of the Beta variant, which was first identified in South Africa.

Anyone who has been in France in the last 10 days will need to quarantine on arrival to England in their own accommodation and will need a Day 2 and Day 8 test, regardless of their vaccination status. This includes any fully vaccinated individual who transits through France from either a green or another amber country to reach England. The Test to Release scheme remains an option for travellers to shorten their quarantine period should they test negative after day 5.

Some operators may make specific arrangements compliant with the public health regulations that allow for transit without quarantine, for example those travelling by train from Belgium, so travellers should check with their operator.

Public health remains the government’s top priority. It has been clear that swift action will be taken on travel list allocations should the data show that a country’s risk to England has changed, including France.

While current cases of the Beta variant in France are not high enough to require arrivals to enter managed quarantine, it is important to consider the potential detection and transmission risk in light of the current situation in England. As a precautionary measure to protect the gains made in the UK’s vaccination programme, and as the country unlocks, anyone arriving from France to England will continue to quarantine for 10 days from early Monday morning, while we continue to assess the latest data and track prevalence of the Beta variant.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

Travel will be different this year and whilst we are committed to continuing to open up international travel safely, our absolute priority is to protect public health here in the UK.

We urge everyone thinking about going abroad this summer to check their terms and conditions as well as the travel restrictions abroad before they go.

 

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

We have always been clear that we will not hesitate to take rapid action at our borders to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the gains made by our successful vaccination programme.

With restrictions lifting on Monday across the country, we will do everything we can to ensure international travel is conducted as safely as possible, and protect our borders from the threat of variants.

 

UK Health Security Agency Chief Executive Dr Jenny Harries said:

As we ease restrictions and begin making our way back to a normal life, it’s more vital than ever that we listen to the data and act decisively when it changes.

While vaccines are helping us turn the tables against this virus, we need to continue to proceed cautiously. That means maintaining our defences against new variants and protecting our hard won progress through the exceptional vaccination rollout.

 

Existing amber list exemptions for key workers including hauliers will remain in place.

For those without an exemption, these rules will continue to apply to all arrivals from France into England, including those who live and work overseas, diplomats, and participants in authorised UK COVID-19 vaccine trials, as well as those who are under the age of 18.

Before travelling to England, everyone needs to take a pre-departure test, and fill in a passenger locator form, regardless of where they are coming from. Anyone not complying with health measures could face a fine, and carriers will be required to ensure proper checks are carried out.