Both Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel have publicly raised the possibility of tighten traffic restrictions between France and their country, the head of the British government before a parliamentary committee last Wednesday and the German Prime Minister on Thursday, at a press conference on the sidelines of a European Union summit.
As a result, theGermany plans to classify the whole of France as a zone not just "at risk", but also "at risk". "high riskA status that until now has only been enjoyed by the border department of Moselle. " When you look at the incidence rates, it's simply a necessity (...), an almost automatic process".said the German Chancellor, quoted by the daily newspaper Le Monde. In fact, according to the criteria established in Germany by the Robert Koch Institute, the transition to a high-risk zone is almost automatic as soon as the seven-day incidence rate exceeds 200 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants on a "sustained" basis. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung quoted by the daily Die Zeit, " The Robert Koch Institute could carry out such a classification on Friday.i ".
What are the consequences for travellers? This higher level involves a number of measures, ranging from the requirement to present a negative test less than 48 hours old to enter Germany to quarantine via strict border controls, as is currently the case with Poland, the Czech Republic and the Austrian Tyrol. Exceptions may apply in certain cases, notably for commuters or goods traffic.
In France, cross-border workers from the Moselle region are subject to a relatively flexible system based on random checks and antigen tests. According to Le Monde, " Mrs Merkel suggested that France could benefit from this preferential treatmentand avoid strict border controls, if its territory is classified as a risk zone in its entirety. "
Interviewed on Friday by France Info radioJean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, explained that the explosion of the pandemic in Germany was going faster than the German government had expected, " they will be stepping up health tests on entry to Germany because of the spread of the pandemic in France at the moment. "The Minister was more specific on this point: " This means more stringent random health checks than those that existed until now" quarantine being " not compulsory, but recommended. "Lastly, with regard to cross-border workers, Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed that ". This will pose problems, but we have a joint working group with the regions concerned to try to make the best possible adjustments and ensure that employees are penalised as little as possible. "
Protecting the population from the spread of the virus without restricting trade: this same issue is also present in the United States. United Kingdom. While the Labour opposition invites Boris Johnson to place France on the red list - making all travel from that country prohibited, except for British nationals and residents who are subject to hotel quarantine on entering the United Kingdom - the British Prime Minister explained the situation to members of parliament: " With regard to France's inclusion on the red list and the consequences this would have on supplies to the UK and cross-Channel movements, don't forget that 75 % of our medicines and 50 % of our food (through the Channel - Editor's note). So there are consequences, but it's something we'll have to examine. "Before adding: " We will take a decision, however difficult, to interrupt these flows if we believe it is necessary for public health and to prevent the arrival of new variants, and we may have to do so. very soon. "
According to The Guardian, " The composition of the Red List - which includes most countries in South America and southern Africa - is reviewed regularly, but Downing Street sources played down the chances of France being added imminently. Another source suggested that a decision on France could be forthcoming. next week. "As for freight, the daily explains that ". Two sources said that the government was examining the possibility of using fast turnaround Covid tests to check lorry drivers entering the country. "
