The rules for entering England are relaxed.

The British government has announced that from 4 a.m. on Monday (3 a.m. GMT), travelers fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from the European Union and the United States will be exempt from quarantine upon arrival in the Kingdom. -United.

"We are helping people living in the United States and in European countries reunite with family and friends in the United Kingdom," Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Twitter.

For countries classified as “orange”, ie the vast majority of tourist destinations, including the EU and the United States, the United Kingdom has until now imposed a quarantine between five and 10 days on all travelers, as well as expensive tests.

England was exempting travelers vaccinated by the British health service from quarantine but not those vaccinated abroad, much to the dismay of British expatriates in those countries for whom it is very difficult to return home.

From now on, England will apply the same measure to people vaccinated in the European Union or in the United States.

French exception

Unfortunately, this new measure announced by the British government does not quite apply to France due to the presence of the Beta variant.

"Separate rules will continue to apply for arrivals from France," the ministry said in a statement.

A PCR test will remain compulsory two days after arrival.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that he wanted "people to be able to come from the United States freely as they normally would".

But the United States has announced that it is keeping its borders closed to international travelers, despite calls for reciprocity, especially from Europeans who have decided to reopen their own borders to Americans, on condition that they are vaccinated against the Covid-19 or have a negative test.

"Reckless" for some, "a helping hand" for others

The Labor opposition, through the voice of its number two Angela Rayner, deemed the easing announced Wednesday "imprudent", worrying about the risk of importing new variants.

Health Minister Sajid Javid, however, defended a measure made possible by the success of vaccination campaigns both in the United Kingdom (more than 70% of adults fully vaccinated) as in the EU and the United States, which will bring "A boost to the economy".

The CBI employers' federation hailed the announcements as "an important boost for the tourism sector, while restoring important business links with key business partners".

Airlines, in a hurry to relaunch the juicy transatlantic exchanges and services to Mediterranean beaches, have expressed their satisfaction.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, however, have asked the government to go further by classifying more countries on the green list, from which no traveler must submit to a quarantine.

The measures announced by London do not also concern countries classified as "red" by London (India, United Arab Emirates, South America, etc.), from which only residents of the United Kingdom can return, observing an expensive quarantine at their costs in dedicated hotels.

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