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France and the UK have reached an agreement that would allow thousands of trucks and people stranded at the border, including Romanians, to resume traffic between the two countries. EU citizens coming from the UK must submit a negative COVID test at the border, CNN reports.
French citizens will be able to return to France from the UK from Wednesday if they have a COVID test to show that they have not been infected with COVID-19. The measure also applies to citizens of EU member states, the French government said.
France and several European Union countries have imposed travel restrictions from the United Kingdom in recent days, in the context of the detection of a new variant of the SARS CoV2 coronavirus, which makes it much more contagious.
“In the current context, as of December 22, starting at midnight, the following categories of people will be allowed to travel to France or transit through the country from Great Britain: French citizens and citizens of the European Economic Area; British or third country citizens residing in France, the European Union or the European Area only if they have to travel. The movements of these categories of people will be systematically subject to the obligation to have, before departure, the negative result of a test carried out in no more than 72 hours ”, announced the French government.
“Regardless of nationality, all travelers must present to the air, shipping or railway company a document issued by an analysis laboratory that has a negative result in the SARS-CoV-2 test. Border personnel can also check the documents. In the absence of a PCR test, only antigen tests sensitive to the variant of the coronavirus VUI-2020-12-01 will be authorized, the list that will be published by the Ministry of Solidarity and Health “, underlines the government in Paris.
The measures announced Tuesday night will remain in effect until at least January 6, subject to a bilateral or European review that would take place by then, according to a statement quoted by Mediafax.
The European Commission has recommended that European Union countries take a coordinated approach to measures in relation to the United Kingdom and allow essential travel, despite the coronavirus mutation.
“In the context of rapidly escalating Covid-19 cases in areas of England, a large part of which is a mutation in the virus, the European Commission today adopted a Recommendation on a coordinated approach to travel and transport measures.” , said. Tuesday EC.
“While it is important to take swift precautions to limit the spread of the new strain of coronavirus and discourage all non-essential travel to and from the UK, essential travel and passenger transit must be facilitated.” Bans on air and rail traffic should be suspended, as it is necessary to guarantee essential travel and avoid disruptions in supply networks, “said the European Commission.
Editing: Monica Bonea
