-
Dordogne village petitions against opening of nearby McDonald’s restaurant
Villagers say there are enough local restaurants, but mayor focuses on job opportunities
-
Thousands of litres of fuel spill into fields in Normandy after tanker overturns
Tests are being carried out into risk of pollution of local water supplies to homes
-
Speed limits to (mostly) drop to 30 km/h in this French city
The new measure will improve noise and pollution, improve safety and encourage cycling, say local authorities
Eight countries move from France’s travel red list to amber
Meanwhile the US had said that its travel ban would be lifted in ‘early November’ but still no exact date has been given (but one ambassador is saying November 1)
France has updated its Covid travel restriction list of green, red and amber countries, as travellers from the EU (and UK) wait to find out when the US will lift its travel ban for vaccinated people.
The French government has moved eight countries from red to amber. These are:
-
Argentina
-
Bangladesh
-
Indonesia
-
Mozambique
-
Namibia
-
Nepal
-
Democratic Republic of the Congo
-
Guyana.
Unvaccinated people entering France from these countries must still have an essential reason for travel, take a PCR test 72 hours – or antigen test 48 hours – before departure and quarantine for seven days on arrival.
Vaccinated travellers do not need to carry out any of these measures.
All travellers will need to complete a sworn statement confirming that they are not experiencing Covid-19 symptoms and have not been in contact with a confirmed case in the preceding fortnight.
Read more: Covid-19: Rules for travel to and from France
When will the US open its borders to travellers from France?
The US government announced on September 20 that its Covid travel ban – first imposed in March 2020 – would be lifted for fully vaccinated passengers from 33 countries including the EU and the UK in “early November.”
No exact date was given, but White House Covid-19 Coordinator Jeff Zients said that the reopening would give airlines and travellers time to prepare before Thanksgiving on November 25.
Read more: US to allow vaccinated visitors from the EU to come from November
France-US travel: What is known about the plan for November reopening?
People hoping to make a trip to America are still waiting for further details on when the date will be announced, but United Airlines and Austria’s ambassador to the US have both said that the government is hoping to be able to lift the ban on November 1.
Whether this target will be met remains to be seen.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that it only expects to have an order requiring airlines to take passenger details for contact tracing – a key aspect of the reopening – by mid-October.
Since it was announced that the travel ban would be coming to an end, there has been a surge in bookings – and therefore prices – for flights to America.
If US borders do not reopen on November 1 or the days following, anyone who has booked trips for early in the month will be forced to reorganise plans, which could lead to a scramble for flights and accommodation and see ticket prices rise further.
Related stories
France-US travel: EU commissioner hopeful AstraZeneca will be accepted