Travel news live: Latest updates as France to ban British tourists
France is to ban UK tourists from midnight on Saturday.
Only travel for “compelling reasons” between the two countries will be permitted, following a surge in omicron cases in Britain.
However, French citizens and their spouses, partners and children will still be able to return to France from the UK.
Meanwhile, Greece is the latest country to introduce tighter travel rules in response to the threat of the omicron coronavirus variant.
From 19 December, all international arrivals, including those from the EU, will need to present a negative PCR test taken within the 48 hours prior to arrival.
The Greek government announced the move on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of Italy, which introduced similar restrictions the day before.
The current entry requirements for Greece stipulate that travellers from the UK don’t need to present a negative test if they can prove full vaccination or recovery from Covid-19.
Follow all the latest travel updates below:
Johnson has yet to speak to Macron about France travel ban
Prime minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson said that the UK had been informed in advance of the French decision to ban British leisure travellers but said that the PM had not spoken with President Emmanuel Macron about it.
“It is up to individual countries to decide their approach,” said the spokesperson.
“We’ve maintained that travel abroad will be different this year and that countries may impose border measures at short notice in line with their own policies in line with rising omicron cases around the world.
“We have removed countries from the red list, as this was no longer an effective or proportionate to slow the import of omicron from abroad, given it is now seeded throughout the world.”
Andrew Woodcock16 December 2021 12:57
‘Now is not the time to travel’, Canada’s health minister warns residents
Canada has asked residents to avoid all non-essential international travel due to fears about the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, 15 December, health minister Jean-Yves Duclos said “the situation abroad is already dire in many places” and “is going to get worse very quickly”.
“To those who were planning to travel, I say very clearly — now is not the time to travel,” he said. “The rapid spread of the omicron variant on a global scale makes us fear the worst.
“We’re afraid for what could happen to them if they leave Canada. Travelling Canadians could contract the virus or get stranded abroad.”
Saman Javed16 December 2021 12:32
Simon Calder to answer your questions live from 4-5pm today
The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder will answer your questions live between 4-5pm today, following the news that leisure travel to France is about to be banned.
Only travelling for “compelling reasons” between France and the UK will be permitted from midnight on Saturday 18 December.
Meanwhile, Greece is also tightening up testing restrictions for international arrivals.
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