A Carterton couple are among thousands of travellers forced to cancel trips last minute after France introduced tougher rules for travellers from the UK.
From midnight on Friday, people arriving from Britain will be required to show a negative Covid test that is less than 24 hours old, to test again upon arrival and self-isolate for seven days, although that can be reduced to 48 hours if the second test is negative.
Tourism and business trips will be limited and French travellers are being dissuaded from visiting the UK.
Clemence Rainbow, who is French but has lived over here for nearly 13 years, said: “Me and my husband Andy were going to see my parents for Christmas. I haven’t seen them for two years now, since Christmas 2019.
“It’s just really annoying, they are not going to stop Omicron, it’s already there and spreading like wildfire. My own opinion is that everyone is acting too late.”
Clemence had already cancelled her Christmas break as the trip was planned for December 23 to 26 – “just three days and it just wasn’t worth it.”
Even under the previous rules they need to get a PCR test 48 hours before going to France, a PCR test on day two of arriving in France. They needed to self-isolate until the result came back negative.
They needed another PCR test 48 hours before returning to the UK and another PCR test once they were back in the UK.
Clemence said: “That was four tests within one or two days of each other and with tests now costing around £50 that was an extra £400 on top of the £196 we paid for the Shuttle.
“We purposely booked the Shuttle because we thought that was safest as we wouldn’t be leaving the car. You have to wait in your car at Folkestone and you obviously don’t have contact with anyone on the Shuttle.
“It’s 40 minutes from Calais to my extended family in Dunkerque, it’s not as if we would be wandering around France.
“We’re both double jabbed although it’s currently too early for us to have our boosters.
“It’s so disappointing and annoying. My parents in law live close to us in Carterton so we will be seeing them for Christmas breakfast instead. It’ll only be for three hours, which seems like what they want us to do now.”
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