Macron has made it clear he is following developments in China very closely and has asked his government to put in place appropriate measures.
Those measures were yet to be announced on Thursday morning but the French government could follow the path of Italy and impose all travellers from China to provide a negative Covid-19 test before arriving in the country.
The French government said it was "ready to study all the useful measures that could be implemented in conjunction with France's European partners and within the legal framework that exists today".
On August 1, 2022 France adopted new rules to combat Covid-19 after scrapping its state of emergency. The text gave the government the right - until January 31st 2023 - to require travellers aged 12 and over to present a negative Covid-19 test prior to entering the territory in the event of a "new variant likely to constitute a serious health threat."
In Brussels the European Commission was to hold a meeting on Thursday to “discuss possible measures for a coordinated approach” by EU states in response to the explosion of Covid-19 cases in China.
Italy said on Wednesday it was reinstating mandatory coronavirus tests for arrivals from China following an explosion in cases there, with Milan's Malpensa airport finding around half of all passengers tested were positive.
Coronavirus infections have surged in China as it unwinds tight controls that had torpedoed the economy and sparked nationwide protests.
China on Monday scrapped quarantine for inbound travellers from January 8th onwards, dismantling the last remaining piece of its stringent zero-Covid policy and ending some of the world’s harshest border restrictions.
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.