Thursday, April 22, 2021
Germany Latest News
  • Sports
  • USA
  • Asia
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Latin America
  • Africa
  • Europe
No Result
View All Result
Germany Latest News
Home Europe

France: British holidaymakers rush to return home after UK quarantine move

admin by admin
August 14, 2020
in Europe
0
France: British holidaymakers rush to return home after UK quarantine move
0
SHARES
1
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Related posts

Coronavirus: WHO criticises EU over vaccine export controls

Coronavirus: WHO criticises EU over vaccine export controls

January 30, 2021
Armin Laschet elected leader of Merkel’s CDU party

Armin Laschet elected leader of Merkel’s CDU party

January 16, 2021

British holidaymakers in France have been rushing to return home to avoid having to self-isolate for a fortnight, following the UK’s decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions on the country amid a recent spike in coronavirus infections.

The government announced late on Thursday that people travelling to the UK from France, the Netherlands and Malta would be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival from Saturday morning. The measures will apply to the whole of the UK and come into effect from 4 a.m. BST (0500 CEST).

The French government has indicated that it will respond in kind, without giving details.

The UK’s move is causing havoc for thousands of holidaymakers and has been greeted with dismay by the travel and tourism industries, struggling to keep a summer season alive after being crippled by the spring lockdown. The British government says travellers were warned of the risks of going abroad.

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the country needed to “keep infection rates down” after France, the Netherlands and Malta all recorded a surge of coronavirus cases in recent days.

Monaco and the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Turks and Caicos have also been added to the quarantine list.

Travellers abruptly change plans

France is the second-most popular holiday destination for British tourists after Spain. Around half a million Britons are thought to be in the country.

In the French ports of Dunkirk and Calais — whose mayor called the UK quarantine move an “aggression” — many British travelers were lining up in their cars to take the ferries crossing the Channel to Britain.

For those trying to beat the quarantine deadline, travel possibilities are limited. Air France, Eurostar and Eurotunnel saw an immediate rise in reservations and services quickly became fully booked. Travel operators are warning people not to try to return to the UK unless they have reservations.

“I was supposed to come back tomorrow evening but then after the announcement yesterday, I decided to move it to today and yeah, it cost me £105 (€116) to change my ticket, and my kids tickets,” said Firas Kilin, as he prepared to board a train to London from Paris.

Speaking on Thursday night, Shapps said the isolation measures would be “mandatory” to keep outbreaks under control, but assured that people would not need to race home from their summer breaks.

He said: “We’re saying to people you can stay and finish your holiday, but you have to be aware you will have to quarantine after that.”

Rising COVID-19 cases in France

There have been growing concerns about the number of COVID-19 cases in France, which is the second-most popular holiday destination for UK tourists after Spain. Infections have risen by 66% in the past week.

However, the rise in the number of cases varies around the country. Infection levels are currently highest in Paris and surrounding areas as well as on the south coast. Paris and the Marseille area were declared “at-risk zones” on Friday because of a spike in new cases.

Yet many areas frequented by British tourists are relatively unscathed, and questions have been raised as to why the UK could not have introduced alternative measures to quarantine, such as testing returning holidaymakers for coronavirus.

On Thursday, the country added 2,524 new coronavirus cases to the national tally in 24 hours — the highest daily increase since May when lockdown measures were lifted.

From 3-9 August, it recorded a weekly rate of 15 cases per 100,000, with the Netherlands and Malta reporting rates of 19 and 35 respectively.

France initially recorded lower cases when considering a seven-day average per 100,000 than the UK, but saw a peak in the last week meaning its total crept above Britain’s.

The continental European country’s increase was still much lower than that of Spain or Belgium — which were both added to the UK’s quarantine list in July.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the decision at the time, telling local broadcaster Telecinco that he thought the measures were “inappropriate” and didn’t fit with Spain’s current epidemiological situation.

He argued that places heavily dependent on British tourists, like the Balearics and the Canary Islands, as well as Valencia and Andalusia, were safe destinations as most of the new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the north-eastern regions of Catalonia and Aragon.

French health authorities said at the end of July: “We have cancelled much of the progress that wed achieved in the first weeks of lockdown-easing.”

It also warned that French citizens appeared to be letting their guard down during their summer vacations and that those who test positive are not self-isolating enough.

Read from source

Previous Post

Germany puts most of Spain on Covid-19 quarantine list

Next Post

Surge in Spain’s Covid-19 cases prompts regional smoking ban

Next Post
Surge in Spain’s Covid-19 cases prompts regional smoking ban

Surge in Spain’s Covid-19 cases prompts regional smoking ban

RECOMMENDED NEWS

José Abreu: Founder of world renowned El Sistema music project dies

3 years ago
Fancy a vibrator that throbs to the beat of Christmas music?

Fancy a vibrator that throbs to the beat of Christmas music?

3 years ago
Who will have the better World Cup Messi or Ronaldo?

Who will have the better World Cup Messi or Ronaldo?

3 years ago
Sergio Perez Becomes Mexicos Most Accomplished F1 Racer

Sergio Perez Becomes Mexicos Most Accomplished F1 Racer

3 years ago

FOLLOW US

  • 85 Followers
  • 113k Subscribers

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Health
  • latest news
  • Latin America
  • Life Style
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • USA

BROWSE BY TOPICS

2018 League Balinese Culture Bali United Budget Travel Champions League Chopper Bike Doctor Terawan Istana Negara Market Stories National Exam Pope Francis may mediate Gulf Crisis Solution Visit Bali
No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • Google halts Play Store ‘review bombing’ by GameStop traders
  • Germany bans entry from the UK, Ireland, Brazil, Portugal and South Africa over COVID-19 variants
  • Biden warns of growing cost of delay on economic coronavirus aid plan
  • Nasa’s Perseverance rover is bearing down on Mars
  • India protests: Internet cut to hunger-striking farmers in Delhi

Categories

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Health
  • latest news
  • Latin America
  • Life Style
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • USA

Tags

2018 League Balinese Culture Bali United Budget Travel Champions League Chopper Bike Doctor Terawan Istana Negara Market Stories National Exam Pope Francis may mediate Gulf Crisis Solution Visit Bali
German Constitutional Court upholds ban on anti-lockdown protest
latest news

German Constitutional Court upholds ban on anti-lockdown protest

by admin
December 6, 2020
0

An anti-lockdown group had filed an urgent court appeal hoping to allow 20,000 people to gather in Bremen. Despite the...

Read more

Recent News

  • Google halts Play Store ‘review bombing’ by GameStop traders
  • Germany bans entry from the UK, Ireland, Brazil, Portugal and South Africa over COVID-19 variants
  • Biden warns of growing cost of delay on economic coronavirus aid plan

Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Health
  • latest news
  • Latin America
  • Life Style
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • USA

Recent News

Google halts Play Store ‘review bombing’ by GameStop traders

Google halts Play Store ‘review bombing’ by GameStop traders

January 31, 2021
Germany bans entry from the UK, Ireland, Brazil, Portugal and South Africa over COVID-19 variants

Germany bans entry from the UK, Ireland, Brazil, Portugal and South Africa over COVID-19 variants

January 31, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Sports

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.