The French government is planning to put in place a scheme that obliges travellers to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19, recovery from the virus, or negative test results upon arrival at the borders of France, and the same would presumably be valid until the end of March 2023.
A leaked draft law published by the French media Atlantico, the authenticity of which has later been confirmed by the French Ministry of Health, shows that the country is planning to set up a border scheme through which travellers over the age of 12 reaching the territory of France, Corsica and overseas territories would have to show proof they are immune to COVID-19.
The same document also foresees the extension of the SI-DEP computer files results of screening tests) and Contact Covid (infected people and contact cases) until March 31, next year.
According to the Ministry of Health, the preliminary draft bill “will be the subject of discussions, before its presentation to the Council of Ministers, with the political forces.”
The bill comes at a time when the country is experiencing an increase in the number of cases, with a total of 342,504 new cases registered in the last seven days alone and 270 deaths within the same period, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show.
The spike in the number of cases has occurred in spite of the vaccination rates in the country. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 80.4 per cent of the French population are vaccinated with at least the first dose, 78.1 per cent with the second dose, and 59.2 per cent with a booster or additional COVID-19 vaccination dose.
Currently, France categorizes countries in two colours – green and orange – and thus, travellers are subject to different entry rules based on the category in which their country is placed.
Travellers from countries on the green list – which includes all EU countries, the United Kingdom and the United States, amongst others – can enter France with a COVID vaccination, recovery or negative test certificate. Those under 12 are not subject to such a requirement.
Whereas travellers from countries under the orange list can enter only with a certificate of vaccination, or negative results, alongside a sworn statement attesting to the absence of COVID-19 symptoms.
France is also among the last EU countries to keep COVID-19 travel restrictions in place, alongside Spain, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovakia.