France to impose tit-for-tat quarantine rules on UK

The French government is planning to implement reciprocal quarantine restrictions on travel from the UK, as ministers face pressure to minimise the 14-day self-isolation period.

Following a spike in coronavirus cases, Britain added France to its "red list" of banned countries on August 15.

Those travelling back to the UK from the country must quarantine for a fortnight, and Paris is now preparing to impose its own restrictions on people heading in the opposition direction.

Speaking on TV station France 2, the minister for European Affairs 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".

His comments come after it was revealed the quarantine period could be reduced to less than a week, under plans to introduce testing on arrival at UK airports.

Airlines are calling on ministers to allow people returning from countries on the government's coronavirus "red list" to be tested on arrival.

Then, they would be tested between three to five days later, with two negative tests giving the traveller permission to leave self-isolation.

Ministers are due to weigh up the benefits of the proposed way forward at a meeting scheduled later this week.

Meanwhile, there are growing concerns that Greece, Switzerland and the Czech Republic could all be subject to quarantine following an increase in cases, with Italy having also recorded a spike.

Due to fears the two week self-isolation rules are causing lasting damage to the travel and tourism industries, the government is under intense pressure to reduce such measures.

According to The Times, the aviation services companies Swissport and Collinson Group submitted plans for a dual testing system to health secretary Matt Hancock.

Other European countries, such as Germany and France, already have testing on arrival systems established at their airports.

In a letter to the health secretary, the two firms have expressed worry that the 14-day rules are stopping people being able to work and travel for business, alongside stifling inbound tourism.

Previously, ministers have expressed concerns about the prospect of replacing the 14 day blanket quarantine policy with a more nuanced testing system.

Some believe the testing regime could miss those who have only been infected due to the amount of time it can take for coronavirus to appear.

Nevertheless, the aviation and travel industries think the government has hugely overestimated the number of people who could be missed under such a scheme.

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