No ‘exemption’ from UK quarantine for French travelers

A woman passes an advert alerting passengers arriving into the UK, about the government’s advice on COVID-19, at the almost-empty departure hall at Terminal 1 of Manchester Airport in Manchester, northern England on May 11, 2020, where they have begun a trial of body temperature screening during the COVID-19 pandemic. – Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced plans to quarantine people arriving in Britain by air for 14 days to prevent new COVID-19 infections from abroad, under a phased lockdown easing that seeks to avoid a second spike. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

LONDON — The British government on Friday said no exemption has been granted to French travelers arriving in the UK from proposed new two-week quarantine rules.

In an apparent step back from a previous position — announced at the weekend — London said there was no “French exemption.”

“If you look at what was actually said in the joint statement on Sunday night, it said no quarantine measures apply to France at this stage and the keywords in that sentence are ‘at this stage’,” said the prime minister’s spokesman.

“So there is no exemption agreed with France.

“What we have said is that we will be working together with the French on this issue in the coming weeks.”

The spokesman said a working group would be set up between the two countries to ensure “consultation”.

Boris Johnson said on Sunday that Britain was considering imposing a two-week quarantine on international arrivals into the UK, as part of its measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, something it has resisted so far.

On the same day, Johnson, in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, stated that “no quarantine measures would apply to travelers coming from France at this stage”.

In a statement, the Home Office said on Friday that: “No quarantine measures apply to France at this stage. Further details on the quarantine will be set out ahead of these measures being introduced.”