France closes borders to many non-EU travel
French PM Jean Castex offers announced tough brand-new Covid-19 border restrictions, but has got again resisted imposing a fresh nationwide lockdown.
From Sunday all but essential travel from beyond the EU will be banned. Tests requirements from inside the EU will also be tightened.
Mr Castex said police would rise their enforcement of an evening curfew and additional rules already in place.
Infections remain saturated in France, despite latest rule tightening.
The brand new restrictions will affect the UK, now no more in the EU, but its transport minister clarified on Twitter that the change wouldn't normally impact hauliers transporting goods to or from the UK.
The threat of a third countrywide lockdown in France has loomed large all week, following warnings by top health officials that one would be needed amid high hospital rates and the spread of latest variants.
But on Friday, carrying out a defence and security appointment, Mr Castex said found in a good televised statement it might still be prevented.
"We know the grave impact [of a lockdown]. Tonight, looking at the info of the past few times, we consider that people can still give ourselves a chance to avoid one," he stated.
Under the rule change beginning on Sunday, all travel will be banned from beyond your EU unless for vital reasons.
All arrivals from inside the EU will as well will have to present a poor polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test - apart from cross-border personnel. This rule previously only applied to air and sea arrivals, certainly not those arriving by road.
Aside from the new travelling guidelines, the prime minister as well said large, non-food buying centres would close, even while home-working rules will be reinforced.
He as well pledged that police would crack straight down on secret parties and against the law restaurant openings.
"We want to do everything we can in order to avoid another lockdown. The arriving days will become decisive. Let's be incredibly vigilant," Mr Castex said.
France reported 820 new deaths on Friday, acquiring the full total recorded nationally to 75,620. A lot more than 27,000 people will be in hospital with the virus - including more than 3,000 in intensive care.
Unlike a great many other European nations, France has resisted imposing a national lockdown to try to curb high infection rates following the festive period.
For now schools remain open in the united states, but businesses like restaurants and bars have already been closed with an overnight curfew enforced between 18:00 and 06:00.
Health and wellbeing Minister Olivier Veran warned this week that new more-transmissible variants of coronavirus were nowadays "actively spreading" found in France regardless of the current restrictions.
Friday's announcement comes amid a growing row between your EU and vaccine businesses about supply shortfalls.
French officials say they have given earliest doses to at least one 1.45m people up to now, but delivery shortages from Pfizer and Moderna are additional slowing their rollout.
