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Thousands of holidaymakers are racing to return to the UK, with quarantine restrictions imposed on France coming into effect on Saturday.
The 14-day isolation requirement of 04.00 BST also applies to people coming from the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba.
Additional ferry services have been added, but Eurotunnel trains are booked and air travelers look for steep prices.
France warned that it would take “reciprocal measures”.
The Netherlands will warn against all but essential travel to the UK if the restrictions are in force on Saturday, but it said it would not introduce reciprocal measures.
The countries were targeted for quarantine restrictions because their infection rates were more than seven days per 100,000 people over seven days, Transportation Grant Shapps said.
“We have worked so hard in this country to bring our level of infections down. The last thing we want is to have people come back and bring the infection with them. It is to protect everyone,” he said. Mr Shapps at BBC Breakfast.
He said there are now around 160,000 British holidaymakers in France.
The deadline means that many of them have a terrible rush to book, pack and make new travel arrangements back to the UK in time.
Tom Duffell, who runs a small business, said he found ‘enormous queues’ at the airport when he returned from Nice with his wife and two children.
“We were enjoying a nice cocktail last night and suddenly a news flash jumped in and a shrink to book flights,” he said.
“We had to spend about £ 800 [on two flights] because we can not afford to take two weeks off work again. “
Stephanie Thiagharajah, who is French but lives in Kent, criticized the “manic” way in which the quarantine was imposed, after spending a “really stressful evening” booking a train from Paris to London.
“The Eurostar was full of families, afraid of being quarantined, they were really annoying,” she said.
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Getty Images
Eurostar passengers arriving at St Pancras have hit the quarantine deadline
P&O Ferries told the BBC it had increased its capacity on its Spirit-class ships, but said passengers should still book in advance instead of just arriving at ports in France, the Netherlands or Belgium.
The ferry operator also advised customers that further capacity changes will be updated on social media.
And DFDS Ferries said it had added an extra four departures from Calais to help Britons get back in time. It said bookings must be made before you arrive at port.
But Eurotunnel said its Channel Tunnel trains were fully booked until Saturday. Previously, customers had long queues for access to the website.
John Keefe, director of public affairs at Getlink, which operates the Channel Tunnel, warned people not to travel to a terminal without a confirmed booking.
Prices for some flights to the UK from Paris were more than £ 450, compared to £ 66 on Saturday. Many direct flights from the south of France have been sold out.
The cheapest Eurostar tickets were £ 210, compared to £ 165 on Saturday.
‘We pack France’
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Scott Cuthbert
Scott and Tracy Cuthbert have been on holiday in France with their daughter Milly
Scott and Tracy Cuthbert, from the village of Bloxham in Oxfordshire, say their six-day holiday in the Loire Valley was an “easy decision for us, because we both need to work”.
The couple and their daughter Milly, 16, were due to return next Thursday but began to “catch up” after hearing news of the rule’s changes.
The family booked themselves on a ferry for Friday afternoon, only to realize they would not make it to the port on time – so have now booked another ferry, leaving at 20:30 BST for Calais.
“We’re driving up now and the sat nav says we’ll have the room in about an hour,” Scott says from the car.
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Clement Beaune, French Secretary of State for European Affairs, tweeted that the UK decision was a matter of “regret” for the French, but that he hopes for a “return to normal as soon as possible”.
The travel industry, already damaged by the pandemic, also criticized the movement.
Gloria Guevara, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said the UK was lagging behind other countries that had pushed “quarantines” in favor of “comprehensive” testing programs for anyone leaving and returning in their respective countries.
The UK Ambassador to France, Lord Llewellyn, acknowledged that the new quarantine rule would be “unwelcome news” for Britons in the country, but insist that people can continue with their vacation as long as they follow safety precautions and self-isolate upon their return.
Shadow Secretary of State Nick Thomas-Symonds said while the Labor Party supported “evidence-based measures” at the border, it was “vital” that No 10 had a “joined-up strategy” and “urgently” put in place a specific deal to support the strongly influenced travel sector.
He added: “The fact that the government has not yet put in place an effective system for railways, railways and insulation has made matters much less and made it more likely that we are dependent on the blunt tool of 14-day quarantine.”
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According to the data company Statista, people from the United Kingdom paid 10.35 million visits to France last year, making it second behind Spain – with 18.12 million – in terms of popularity.
The Foreign Office is now warning against all but essential travel to France. The quarantine measure was imposed on 25 July for Spain.
A list of more than 50 so-called travel corridors – allowing movement between the UK and other countries with the need to isolate themselves on return travel – was published at the beginning of last month and later expanded.
But ending some of the exemptions on the list follows a “significant change” in the risk of contracting Covid-19, the Department of Transportation said.
It added that since last Friday there has been a 66% increase in newly reported cases per 100,000 people in France.
For the Netherlands it went up by 52%. And the increase for Malta was 105%, while it was 273% for Turks and Caicos and 1,106% for Aruba.
‘Can’t be suicidal’
Ahead of a cabinet meeting on the new measures, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to be ‘absolutely messy’ when deciding on rules for holidaymakers from abroad.
“We can not be remotely complacent about our own situation,” he added.
According to the Home Office, a total of nine fines have been imposed at the border since quarantine restrictions were introduced on June 8th.
Under the rules, people who do not self-isolate can be fined up to £ 1000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and £ 480 in Scotland. There are fines of up to £ 5,000 for persistent offenders.
On Thursday, France reported 2,524 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, the highest daily increase since its lockdown in May was lifted.
The country’s prime minister, Jean Castex, said on Tuesday that coronavirus numbers had been “the wrong way” for two weeks.
Meanwhile, the government has announced that maximum fines for people in England who repeatedly refuse to wear a face mask could double to £ 3,200, while organizers of illegal raven could face a fine of £ 10,000.
But from Sunday, indoor theater, music and performance venues will be able to reopen with socially distant audiences.
Casinos, bowling alleys, ice rinks and soft play centers will also be allowed, as well as “close contact” care services such as facades, eyebrows and eyelash treatments.
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