To combat the spread of the delta variant, France will impose Covid-19 tests for less than twenty-four hours upon entry into its territory from several European countries.
Covid-19 infections continue to rise rapidly. They were back above the 10,000 daily case mark on Friday under the influence of the delta variable, while hospitalizations remained slightly down, according to figures from Public Health France.
If one can count on the effect of catching up with the July 14 holiday, when fewer tests were conducted, contamination cases almost doubled, rising to nearly 40,562 from 23,039 seven days earlier. The threshold of 10,000 new daily cases has not been crossed since the end of May. The highly contagious delta variant is responsible for nearly all of these new cases in France today.
From Saturday, wearing a mask is again mandatory in public places, with the exception of the beach and in large natural spaces, in all municipalities of the Pyrenees-Orientales as well as in Bas-Rhin.
To contain the increase in cases without hampering the summer holidays that began under bleak skies, France will require Covid-19 tests for less than twenty-four hours upon entry into its territory from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and the Netherlands, Matignon announced on Saturday. The measure, which concerns unvaccinated travelers, will go into effect on Sunday.
Matignon also stresses the expansion of the list of “red” countries to include Tunisia, Mozambique, Cuba and Indonesia. People arriving from the UK so far are subject to a test of less than 48 hours. The deadline is 72 hours for those coming from Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Greece.
“At the same time, because vaccines are effective against the virus, particularly its delta variant, restrictions are weighing on travelers who benefit from the full vaccination schedule with an EMA-recognised vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Janssen) from Saturday, Regardless of the country of origin, Matignon continues.
Prime Minister Jan Casteks also confirmed that the vaccination schedule is now considered complete seven days after injecting a second dose, or a dose for people who have already contracted the virus, compared to fourteen days before that. For the Janssen single-dose vaccine, the regimen remains complete after injection and a period of twenty-eight days.