PARIS: France will soon drop its requirement of a negative Covid-19 test for vaccinated travellers from outside the European Union (EU), as daily infection numbers continue to fall.
The news was announced by the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune. He said that the authorities are expected to announce changes regarding entry to the country during the upcoming days.
According to the French Ministry of Interior, fully vaccinated travellers from a European Union country, including Andorra, Iceland, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, and the Vatican City State, can enter France for travel purposes provided that they hold a valid vaccination certificate.
On the other hand, travellers from the other countries that are not part of the list mentioned above need to undergo a test taken within 48 hours when travelling to France.
“This week, there will probably be a new European protocol for vaccinated people arriving from outside the EU, with eased measures,” he added.
EU members agreed on January 25 to better coordinate their travel rules, in particular for people crossing borders within the bloc.
The Omicron surge prompted Italy and Denmark, for example, to impose recent negative test requirements for entry by fellow EU residents as well as vaccination proof, a tightening of the rules that irritated officials in Brussels.
French authorities began lifting a series of Covid-19 restrictions this month, with nightclubs set to reopen from February 16 and standing areas once again authorised for concerts and sporting events as well as bars.
The country recorded 46,001 Covid cases on Monday, a sharp drop from the record of just under 465,000 infections in mid-January.
