France tightens quarantine for UK travellers over variant fears

France has become the latest European country to introduce restrictions on UK tourists due to mounting concern over the rapid spread of the coronavirus variant first identified in India.

The country had previously planned to allow fully vaccinated Britons, or those who had tested negative, to visit from 9 June.

This plan was in line with the European Commission’s decision to allow travel across the bloc’s 27 countries for all those who had been fully vaccinated, recently tested negative or recovered from an infection from July.

But now the French government has said anyone arriving from the UK after 31 May must quarantine for at least seven days, provide signed justifications for their journey and show negative PCR tests before being allowed into France – even if they have been fully vaccinated.

The government said that police would be asked to check that quarantine was being observed, with fines for breaches expected to start at €1,000 (£865).

French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, suggested British travellers could be put in a separate health category, which would be similar to the strict measures imposed on visitors from Brazil and India. “The arrival of the Indian variant is a problem, and we remain on high alert regarding that matter, in cooperation with the British authorities,” he said.

The number of Covid patients in the UK fell to its lowest since September last week. But clusters of the B.1.617.2 variant have grown quickly, with the UK recording 3,424 cases of the variant by the end of last week – up 2,111 on the previous week.

France is following in the footsteps of Germany, which has already imposed a two-week quarantine on UK arrivals, and Austria, which has banned direct UK flights from 1 June. The three countries are all on England’s “amber” list, meaning that the government advises against travel there and passengers must quarantine upon return.

The new measures are a massive blow to the struggling tourism industry. Some 13 million Britons visited France every year before the coronavirus crisis began in early 2020, more than any other nationality, according to official data.

The measures will also add to the ongoing confusion over the UK’s “traffic light” travel system.

Rory Boland, the travel editor of Which?, said the decision was a “stark reminder” of the unpredictability of international travel this year. He said: “People would have already been confused about what travel is safe and permitted due to the country’s status on the UK’s amber list, and this announcement will cause even more stress for those with an upcoming booking.”

He suggested that anyone thinking about booking a trip in the next few months should do so with a holiday company that has the most flexible booking policies available.