‘Regretful’ France to bring in reciprocal rules forcing UK travellers to self-isolate

FRANCE is to introduce a “reciprocal” quarantine on travellers from the UK, in what a government source described as a “logical and politically necessary” measure.

It is expected to mirror the requirement for travellers from France to self- isolate for two weeks after arriving in the UK. Arrivals in France from the UK will be asked to give an address where they will quarantine, the source said.

A French announcement is expected today. “When Britain lifts its quarantine on people coming from France, we will do the same,” the government source added.

Clément Beaune, its Europe minister, said France regrets the UK restrictions and has urged the British government to end them as soon as possible. His predecessor, Nathalie Loiseau, now an MEP for Emmanuel Macron’s party, told French radio yesterday that Britain had no need to quarantine travellers from France.

Despite another record surge in coronavirus infections in France during the weekend, she claimed the quarantine “is not based on scientific data”.

“We know that the coronavirus has spread less in France than the United Kingdom, so this measure has no reason to exist,” she said. “It places a lot of people in difficulty.”

Ms Loiseau said Britain had suffered Europe’s highest number of deaths and the UK Government had “delayed a lot before taking action against the coronavirus”. She added that the quarantine “comes at a time when Brexit is posing difficulties, which will only increase”.

The quarantine requirement, she added, “is negative for the United Kingdom and its relations with Europe”.

France reported 3,310 new infections on Saturday, the highest daily increase since the country exited lockdown in May.

The unusual weekend announcement of the latest figures signalled deepening concern in France as the authorities try to hammer home the message that the public must maintain social distancing, wear face masks and avoid crowds. The government and public health experts fear the epidemic may spiral out of control after the French return to the cities from summer holidays across the country.

French officials say Paris is exasperated with Boris Johnson’s pledge to be “ruthless” with Britain’s foreign partners over the pandemic.