France: Authorities ban tourists without Covid booster jab from entering the country | Travel News | Travel
Travellers to France are refused entry to the country if they were double jabbed over nine months ago. This means some half-term tourists will need a booster vaccine to holiday in the country.
France has banned holidaymakers from entering the country if they received two doses of the Covid vaccine nine months ago or more.
Consequently, Britons who want to visit the country over the half-term holiday must get their booster jab to do so.
The week-long half-term holiday will begin from February 14.
Without this jab, or a second dose of the Covid vaccine less than nine months ago, tourists will be barred from entering.
France will treat these holidaymakers as unvaccinated.
READ MORE: Spain holidays: Major travel rule change for Britons from today
Travellers without a recent Covid vaccine can only enter France if they have a “compelling reason”.
This could mean a dying relative, for example, but not for holidays.
France’s new rule came into place yesterday, February 2.
Eurostar services have already warned customers, announcing: “If you had your full vaccine course nine months ago or more and you haven’t had a COVID-19 vaccine booster, you must follow the rules for unvaccinated passengers to enter France.”
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The UK has not yet ruled that Britons without a booster jab will need to be tested on returning to the country.
On February 11, travel tests will be dropped for those who are fully vaccinated, which currently means two doses of the Covid jab.
Holidays to Spain could also be made more difficult for Britons as the nation is set to reject EU plans to help unvaccinated people, or those with only one dose of the vaccine, to travel.
The EU wants to allow unvaccinated travellers to go abroad provided they have recovered from Covid within the past 180 days.
However, Spanish authorities are planning to reject the move, meaning all British holidaymakers over the age of 12 who have not been fully vaccinated will be banned from entering the country.
This rule will hit children the hardest as those older than 12 only started receiving their first dose of the Covid vaccine in December 2021.
Children who are infected with Covid must wait 12 weeks before receiving their second dose of the Covid vaccine.
To travel to Spain, they must then wait a further two weeks after the second jab.
France has been putting strict measures in place over the past few months to curb the rise of the Omicron variant in the country.
In mid-December last year, French authorities banned British tourists – including those who were fully vaccinated and boosted – from entering the country.
Only French citizens returning from the UK or British people living in France were allowed to cross the border.
This ban was lifted on Friday, January 14, for tourists who were fully vaccinated.
Following this move, thousands of Britons travelled to France for the beginning of the European ski season.
