14-day quarantine for Jersey travellers to France on the cards

Wednesday 26 August 2020

Islanders will have to enter compulsory quarantine for 14 days when travelling to France, if the country decides to place new restrictive border measures on the UK in the coming days.

Government officials confirmed to Express yesterday that, despite the island’s lower numbers of covid cases, it was their understanding that French authorities would not be treating the island differently and would apply the same rules as UK travellers.

Earlier this week, a French Junior Minister suggested the country would be applying a 'tit-for-tat' policy with the UK, which requires anyone arriving from France to quarantine for 14 days.

Speaking to French TV channel France 2, Clement Beaune said:  "We will have a measure called reciprocity so that our British friends do not close the border in one single way.

“For travellers returning from the United Kingdom, there will probably be restrictive measures decided in the next few days by the Prime Minister and by the Defence Council." 

This move has not yet been confirmed. However, French authorities did announce this week that all travellers arriving by air or ferry will now need to complete a ‘déclaration sur l’honneur’ (sworn statement), to certify they are not suffering from covid-19 and have not been in contact with any confirmed cases over the prior fortnight.  

Pictured: It is thought France will place similar restrictions on UK travellers to the 14 day quarantine the UK has put on French arrivals in the country.

Asked about the predicted impact on Jersey, a Government spokesperson said: “At this stage, the French authorities are not distinguishing between the UK and Jersey for the purposes of quarantine and border measures.

“The French government has made no official announcement on implementing a quarantine for UK travellers and as such there is currently no quarantine in place for UK or Jersey passengers arriving in France.”

If a 14-day quarantine for Jersey and UK travellers is confirmed, this will likely be a further blow for ferry provider Condor, which yesterday said its revenues had dipped 75% due to the impact of the pandemic and that it was having to restrict its schedule and lay off staff to protect its future.