Patricia Watkins 
For all those who wish to stroll the streets of France this summer, visit the historic boulevards of Paris, kayak in the Gorges de Daluis, or enjoy the vineyards and lavender fields of Provence, this could be possible very soon because the latter plans to relax its restrictions from June 9.
Before you start planning your trip to France, here’s a step-by-step guide to what you need to know.
France is among the countries in the European Union that have maintained some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions since 2020. Although France opened the borders to visitors last summer, the country has been blocked three times since then.
France entered its third national lockdown on April 3 due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, and now the county is reopening cautiously again since the last lockdown.
Domestic travel restrictions have already been lifted since May 3, allowing residents to travel within the country again.
In addition, the national nighttime curfew in effect since January 16 has been shortened from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on May 19. It is expected that the curfew will be further extended from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. from June 9 and be fully lifted. before June 30.
Current entry restrictions for travelers outside the EU
Travelers entering France from a non-EU country for essential purposes are subject to a seven-day quarantine requirement in a location of their choice.
However, the restrictions are due to be relaxed on June 9.
People arriving from Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, Chile, Guinea, India, South Africa, Pakistan, Nepal, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, from Colombia, Bahrain, Costa Rica and Uruguay must present a negative COVID-19. test carried out at least 36 hours before travel and are subject to a ten-day quarantine.
As of May 31, all people arriving from the UK have been forced to self-quarantine for seven days due to concerns over the Indian variant, which is spreading rapidly in the country.
Who will be able to enter France this summer?
Currently, France maintains relaxed entry restrictions for the EU and several other third countries, including here Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore.
With the exception of EU countries, arrivals from European micro-states and countries in the Schengen area – Andorra, Vatican City, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland – are also subject to more relaxed restrictions when entering France.
All persons from an EU or any other country mentioned above will be allowed to enter France provided they present a negative result of the COVID-19 test carried out within 72 hours of departure and a declaration on their honor. indicating that the person has no COVID-19 symptoms.
The testing requirement applies to all people over the age of 11 and in France everyone must wear their mask on public transport or in closed areas, keep social distance and limit contact with people. other people.
French authorities have revealed that they will provide PCR tests for free to everyone visiting the country this summer.
The French authorities are also expected to set up the so-called “traffic lights” system before June 9, which will be based on data provided by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
“Concerning the countries which are outside the European area, we will work on lists and colors. There will be green countries, orange countries and red countries ”, declared the Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.
Therefore, France will establish which countries can visit based on their epidemiological rate.
According to a statement by French President Emanuel Macron, from June 9, restrictions will be relaxed for travelers holding a COVID-19 passport, which should prove that the traveler has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or has a result negative test.
No details on the passport specifications have yet been given by the French authorities.
“Pass Sanitaire” – The French version of the European COVID-19 passport
People traveling to France in the coming summer months will be able to prove their state of health with the European COVID-19 passport. The passport can be used in paper or digital format, and travelers will be able to cross the border using the QR code that is labeled on the passport.
France has already become the first country in Europe to start testing the COVID-19 digital passport via an app.
In France, if you have the QR code of the vaccination passport on your phone, it means that you have a “Health Pass”, which provides access to various public events taking place in the country during this summer.
From June 9, those who wish to attend music concerts, large theaters, tennis tournaments at Roland Garros, festivals, large casinos or board a cruise ship must bring the Pass Sanitary.
However, the Health Pass will not be required to visit places where the public is constantly on the move and in the open air, including the Eiffel Tower here.
Travel insurance – a must for every traveler to France
It is strongly suggested that anyone planning to travel to France this summer to purchase extensive travel insurance covering epidemic and pandemic situations to ensure that they can save their money in the event that their trip is canceled due to the coronavirus situation.
Before purchasing travel insurance for France, everyone should check if it includes medical benefits and low deductibles for expenses, covers at least € 50,000 in emergency medical costs and € 250,000 in evacuation cover. ’emergency.
You can purchase travel medical insurance protection for France at very low cost from MondialCare, AXA Assistance or Europ Assistance at a very low cost.
What will be open in France this summer?
Since May 19, museums and cinemas have opened in France with limited capacity. This means that the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre and several other sensational monuments such as Mont Saint Michel in Normandy are now open to tourists.
Spectators are allowed to enter museums, arenas, monuments, theaters, auditoriums with a seated audience with a capacity of 800 people indoors and 1,000 people outdoors.
Restaurants, bars and cafes are also allowed to serve at outdoor tables until curfew time. However, since the curfew will be extended by two hours, starting June 9, restaurants and bars in Paris will also be allowed to serve at the table in indoor environments. However, only a maximum of six people will be allowed per table. Non-essential businesses will also reopen their doors.
Other major sites will take longer to open to visitors. Disneyland Paris is set to open its doors to visitors with pre-booked tickets on June 17, and everyone will have to keep their masks on.
The Eiffel Tower will open on July 16 and the Moulin Rouge on September 10. Anyone wishing to visit the Eiffel Tower should note that the number of visitors will be limited to 10,000 each day and the elevators will operate at 50% of their capacity.
Visitors should always wear masks in indoor public places such as hotel lobbies, museums, cinemas, as well as on main city streets which are busy, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.
Current situation of the coronavirus in France
France is one of the European countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 5.7 million cases and 109,528 deaths as of June 1.
COVID-19 cases were skyrocketing earlier this year, but the numbers then declined dramatically in May. However, the situation remains critical due to concerns about hospital capacity.
In the past seven days, France has reported 91 infections per 100,000 population
So far, France has administered at least 36,079,378 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Assuming that each person needs two doses to be fully immunized, this means that approximately 26.9% of the country’s population has been vaccinated.
In the past week alone, France reported that an average of 485,984 doses were administered each day. At this rate, it will take approximately 28 days to deliver enough doses to an additional 10% of the population.
