France’s government will continue to tighten its border restrictions with countries outside of the European Union, including the United Kingdom, in a bid to stop the spread of new contagious strains of the Coronavirus pandemic, the country’s government has announced.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that all persons arriving in France from non-EU countries would be required to present a negative result of the Coronavirus test, not older than 72 hours, so they could be permitted to enter the country, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Passengers from countries outside the European Union would then be required to declare that they will undergo a period of seven days in quarantine, once they enter France, and then undergo a second PCR test.
“We are going to strengthen border control. As of Monday (January 18th), all travellers coming to France from outside the European Union will have to take a test before leaving,” Prime Minister Jean Castex pointed out.
He also stressed, “those concerned will then have to isolate for seven days and do a second PCR test at the end of this period.”
France’s Prime Minister said that Denmark and Ireland as well as some other countries, in which the number of COVID-19 infections is continuously increasing would be subject to additional border restrictions, without providing any detailed information in this regard.
Castex stressed that cross-border workers, as well as other essential workers, will be excluded from the quarantine requirements.
France is the sixth most affected country from the Coronavirus pandemic, based on Worldometers’ statistics. More than 2,851,660 persons have contracted the COVID-19 disease in France, while 69,313 persons have died.
Even though a total of 206,802 persons have been totally recovered from the deadly virus in France, the country still faces 2,575,555 active cases.
However, the Coronavirus pandemic is not the only reason why France tightens its border controls.
Earlier this week, authorities in France announced that the border crossing at the port of Portillon in the Vall d’Aran, which connects Spain with France would temporarily close, to prevent terrorist attacks and stop further illegal immigration.
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