Thousands of families kept apart, holiday plans thwarted and tourism businesses close to collapse – the UK Government’s decision to move France to a new ‘amber plus’ category has far-reaching implications.
Fully vaccinated Britons cannot visit our closest European neighbour – even after ‘Freedom Day’ – without facing up to 10 days of self-isolation and the expense of an additional PCR test on their return.
A Friday evening announcement gave travellers less than three days’ notice. We meet some of those affected by the latest last-minute rule.
‘It’s killing our business, and the business of everyone we know’
Rebecca Jones and her husband Tim (both British) have a B&B in France; a large proportion of their customers are from the UK.
My husband and I have both been fully vaccinated, all our family in the UK are double vaccinated, yet I haven’t seen my sister or my nieces and nephews in two years. I’ve had five trips cancelled due to Covid. At our B&B (in the Loire Valley), a high proportion of our guests are British. We lost almost an entire season due to UK quarantine rules. The news that double vaccinated Britons would be able to return from amber list countries without quarantine had led to a flurry of bookings and my family had planned a trip out.
My grandmother is 95 and I haven’t seen her in two years. We can’t come back as the thought of being stuck with small children [Rebecca has two sons, aged 11 and 9] in quarantine, is unbearable [and we can’t keep the business shut for that extra time]. I’m hoping my grandmother will survive so I can go back to see her.
To say that I’m livid about [the ‘amber plus’ decision] is an understatement. It’s just ridiculous. The lack of clarity even more ridiculous. It’s so difficult for people to live their lives or to plan. I’m constantly getting guests emailing asking about rules for travel, as they have no idea.
We have to tell people “we can’t afford to give you your money back”. Many UK guests have deferred from the previous year: we’ve turned away five or six French guests for each one of those rooms. It’s killing our business, and the business of everyone we know: it’s heartbreaking.
‘I feel numb: we can’t see my husband’s family’
Lebby Eyres and her (French) husband have a home in France; they were due to travel there today.
Lebby Eyres and her husband have been separated from family in France
Credit: Lebby Eyres
We were supposed to be having my 50th birthday and 10th wedding anniversary party in France on July 31, so that was one reason we [booked a few months ago]. The only guests who were still coming were some friends from Germany, who can travel happily around Europe.
Now, [the amber plus] decision is another blow. For us, it’s not the quarantine that is the problem, we are prepared to do it again having done it last year, but it’s the fear it could go red. It’s an “orangey-red”, as someone described it on Twitter. The fact France is being singled out is a bit of a worry – and to be honest, chances are we might end up on France’s red list too.
I’m just not sure we can risk the cost for the family’s red list quarantine Going means that we’d have to accept that we might be subject to the mad dash back to the tunnel or ferry to try to get out before the country went into the red category.
I feel numb really. I know people will say that we shouldn’t have booked a holiday, but France is my husband’s home. He just wants to go [back] and see his family, and we want to make sure our house isn’t falling down.
‘I miss my daughter – I haven’t seen her for a year’
Philippa Jones lives in Bordeaux; her daughter lives in Birmingham.
I’ve been living in France for two years. I was awaiting the promised review of recognition of EU vaccination to enable my planned short visit to the UK in August. I live in France and haven’t seen my daughter for a year, and I miss her!
My daughter is 25 and lives in Birmingham; I’ve not seen her since she visited me here in July 2020. I’d booked to visit her in August. I think most travel restrictions both in UK and France have been sensible, but UK changes always feel last minute and poorly communicated. This latest decision seems to be ill thought through.
In terms of the UK recognising EU vaccination; I’m optimistic that this will get sorted but don’t know why it’s taking so long. EU countries are already accepting NHS vaccination certificates, so why isn’t the UK similarly accepting the EU Pass Sanitaire? It feels more about political posturing than anything else.
‘These last-minute changes are causing a great deal of stress’
Vicky Prais, a human rights consultant, had planned her first overseas trip since February 2020, to see friends in Strasbourg.
Vicky was hoping to see some friends in France for the first time since 2018
Credit: Vicky Prais
I’ve booked to go to Paris and Strasbourg in early September to visit friends and have just been double vaccinated this week. I’ve not seen my friends in Strasbourg since early in 2018.
I have only [reserved] my trains so far. I am not stressing about the latest plans as I suspect the Government will, yet again, do another u-turn before I go. I deliberately bought my tickets before the amber announcement [all fully vaccinated Britons returning from amber list countries, now with the exception of France, will be exempt from quarantine after July 19] as I thought there would be a mad rush thereafter and prices would go through the roof. I am still really hoping to get to France in September. It would be my first overseas trip since February 2020.
I fully accept that the Government is currently in an invidious position in terms of managing international travel, but these last-minute changes are causing huge uncertainty for many people, financial worries and a great deal of stress. I can’t imagine that it’s doing much for diplomatic relations between France and the UK either.