The French government has recently assured travellers returning from the United Kingdom, European countries, or the Schengen area at large that they will not be quarantined for a two-week period as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is contrary to prior statements from the health minister.
As French consulate in the UK tweeted on Sunday, “People entering France from the European area (EU, Schengen, and the UK) will NOT be affected by the [French] quarantine measure, whose practical details will soon be specified.”
This comes shortly after Health Minister Olivier Véran declared that all who enter mainland France, even from Corsica, would be subject to a mandatory two-week isolation. The French government also announced that the state of emergency declared in the wake of the coronavirus would be extended until 24 July 2020, with returning travellers having to spend two weeks quarantined.
However, with the announcement from the consulate coupled with confirmation from the office of the president, it appears that travellers with a Schengen visa and coming from EU countries or Great Britain will be exempt from the isolation period awaiting returning travellers from other countries.
France has been one of epicentres of the disease, with over 174,918 confirmed cases and 25,990 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University. Since mid-March, France has clamped down on their borders in an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19, with the lockdown only set to lift in stages from 11 May 2020.
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