No, UK has not lifted quarantine requirement for France
France's public service media FranceInfo today stated that the UK Covid-19 quarantine had been ended for arrivals from France – this is not the case.
The media source is thought to have made the assumption based on a bulletin – also incorrect – from news agency Reuters, which stated that the UK now requires people entering from France to self-certify as not having Covid-19 symptoms and not having been in contact with an infected person in the last 14 days.
FranceInfo later changed its article to clarify that the quarantine requirement had not been lifted, and issued a correction. However it has not corrected the statement about the UK requiring self-certification of not having symptoms of Covid-19.
We are reporting on this, not so as to show the error, but so as people who saw it do not arrive in the UK expecting there to be no quarantine. A British minister said in recent days that the Covid-19 figures in France meant it was unlikely to meet requirements to be placed back on its travel corridor (no quarantine) list rapidly.
The error came from a misunderstanding of an update the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice for France, which referred to ‘revised entry requirements for travellers’, involving the self-certification of not having Covid-19 symptoms or contact with infected people.
The UK later clarified the wording to clarify that it referred to entry to France.
In fact a French decree is in place which places this requirement on people arriving in France by plane. People are required to provide this self-certification to the airline.
In Connexion staff’s recent experience this may be checked as part of airlines’ online check-in process. Some French airports also have forms to download on their sites if you want to bring your own sworn attestation with you.
However as before, on arrival in France there are no specific French health-related checks or restrictions for arrivals from other European countries, including the UK, although its Foreign Affairs Ministry has warned that ‘reciprocal measures’ are under consideration after the UK reimposed its quarantine.
A British Embassy spokesperson said: “The requirement for most people to self-isolate on arrival in the UK from France remains in place. Our Travel Advice on gov.uk is always the place to turn for authoritative and up to date information for British travellers. If you are unsure about what the guidance means for you, do look at our Facebook page; it has answers to the most frequently asked questions.”
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