After announcing restrictions for U.K. travellers last week, the French government has decided to allow fully vaccinated visitors from Britain to enter the country, according to The Times. This will also apply to U.S. visitors
However, even if U.K. and U.S. travellers are fully vaccinated, they will need to show French authorities a negative PCR test upon arrival.
U.K. visitors who are not vaccinated, meanwhile, will have to self-isolate for seven days upon arrival in France and they will need to fill out a certificate stating a compelling reason for travelling to France, in addition to a negative PCR test.
The French government’s new measures will come into effect on June 9, when the country will officially launch the European sanitary pass. This pass will work as a QR code that people will have on their electronic devices showing their PCR test results and vaccine. France will also be easing some restrictions on June 9, pushing the 9 p.m. curfew to 11 p.m. and increasing the audience capacity inside cultural venues from 35% to 65%.
With the high summer season kicking off at the end of the month, the news was met with much relief within the tourism sector.
“We have to reconcile freedom of mobility with the need for security,” Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, France’s tourism minister, said on BFM TV. “Nothing would be worse than to enter yet another Covid wave because we were not careful enough,” he said.
It’s also a happy turn of events for the Cannes Film Festival which starts on July 6. U.K. attendees represent the third largest contingent of industry guests, behind French and American ones.
Cannes president Pierre Lescure had said on Thursday during the festival’s press conference that the French government would unveil some new instructions for international travellers, including U.K. visitors.
There is still some uncertainty, however, for travellers who will not have their second shot of the vaccine done on time, and will need to have a compelling reason to come to France. The festival is still discussing with French authorities to give accredited guests a permit in order to travel to France.