display
France has eased the restrictions imposed on travel from Great Britain because of the new coronavirus variant.
EU citizens as well as British or nationals of other countries residing in the EU will be able to travel from Great Britain to France again from Wednesday, as the government in Paris announced on Tuesday - two days after the restrictions were imposed.
A negative corona test is required.
Due to an agreement reached with the British authorities, traffic by ships, trains and planes will start again on Wednesday, said French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari.
The corona test required for entry into France must not be older than 72 hours and must also be able to prove the new variant of the corona virus.
Freight traffic from Great Britain to France should also start again from Wednesday, according to diplomatic circles in Brussels.
The government in London announced that a solution had also been found for truck drivers stuck in Great Britain because of the French entry ban.
Regardless of their nationality, they should do a rapid corona test, which can also determine the new form of the virus.
display
The port in the southern English port of Dover has announced its reopening for traffic to France.
It was initially unclear when the hundreds of trucks waiting there would be able to continue their journeys.
The Belgian government has also announced that travel restrictions will be relaxed.
It again allowed the entry of people coming from Great Britain who have Belgian citizenship or have their main residence in Belgium.
The lifting of the entry bans also applies to “urgently needed trips” that cannot be postponed, the government said in Brussels.
The government in London had tightened the internal pandemic measures significantly over the weekend due to the rapid spread of the mutated corona variant, especially in south-east England.
The British government warned that the new form of the virus was "up to 70 percent more contagious" than its original variant.
display
Many EU countries reacted with border closings and entry bans for at least 48 hours, which caused chaos.
Air and train connections with the United Kingdom have ceased.
France also closed the borders for freight traffic.
The EU Commission on Tuesday urged a general relaxation of the border closings with Great Britain.
"Essential trips" should still be possible, said the Brussels authority.
However, the member states should agree on conditions such as quarantine or test obligations.
However, Germany and other EU countries have announced that they will retain bans on travel to and from Great Britain.
For the former EU member Great Britain, the same rules would apply to the freedom of transport and travel until the end of the year as for EU countries, the EU Commission warned: "This means that the member states may not refuse entry from the UK in principle. "
At the weekend, Germany had initially suspended air traffic from Great Britain until the end of the year.
On Tuesday, the Federal Ministry of Health imposed a general ban on transport until January 6 for travelers from Great Britain and South Africa, where a new mutation of the pathogen had also been found.
All developments on Corona in the live ticker: