Brittany Ferries slams 'hammer blow' and 'unnecessary' French rules banning UK residents without negative Covid test as 'Christmas is cancelled'

Portsmouth-based Brittany Ferries said Christmas was a ‘write-off’ after France announced it was introducing tougher rules for travellers from the UK in an attempt to counter the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

From midnight on Friday, people arriving from Britain will be required to show a negative Covid test 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 professional trips will be limited.

The new measures will apply to everyone regardless of vaccination status.

In a statement, the French government said it was taking the measures as the UK is facing a ‘tidal wave’ of Omicron cases.

But Brittany Ferries has criticised the move, especially with Omicron cases surging through France too.

A spokesman for the ferry operator said: ‘The new measures are a hammer blow when we were looking forward to a strong Christmas season.

‘With Omicron sweeping through French as it is in the UK, further border controls seem unnecessary and unwelcome.

‘Any changes to trave rules affect passengers booking and create more uncertainty for future travellers.

‘We hope the variant is less harmful than the Delta variant and we will learn to live with it, with Europe being more stoic and confident too when it sweeps through there.’

The spokesman said the company had survived for two years on French loans but did not want a repeat of that in the future.

‘Next year was meant to be our come back year. We can’t have another year where we are going cap in hand to France again,’ he said.

‘Christmas is a write-off but our hope is that by the summer holidays things will be back on.’

Announcing the move on Wednesday, French spokesman Gabriel Attal told BFM television: ‘We will put in place a system of controls drastically tighter than the one we have today.

‘We will reduce the validity of the test to come to France from 48 hours to 24 hours.

‘We will limit the reasons for coming to France from the UK – it will be limited to French nationals and residents and their families.

‘Tourism or business trips for people who do not have French or European nationality or are residents will be limited.

‘People will have to register on an app … and will have to self-isolate in a place of their choosing for seven days – controlled by the security forces – but this can be shortened to 48 hours if a negative test is carried out in France.’

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Amid questions over how the new policy will affect cross-Channel trade, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said hauliers will be exempt.

He tweeted: ‘To confirm I have liaised with my French counterpart (Jean-Baptiste Djebbari) and hauliers will remain exempt.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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