A quite belated decision… As concerns have been dramatically increasing about Covid Brazilian variant, devastating South American countries and forcing some European countries – such as Portugal and the United Kingdom – to halt flights from and to Brazil, France takes its time without getting too worried.
Yet, this Tuesday April 13, the French health authorities have been forced to enter the fray, asking the government to make measures for the flow of people coming from and to the country. Borders are yet closed, but do not prevent people from travelling despite the measures instated (more controls in airports, required PCR tests, as well as an antigenic test when deplaning), and with three flights a day completely packed to Brazil.
A grotesque situation deputies condemned this very Tuesday at the National Assembly calling out Jean Castex on the matter. The Prime Minister reminded that “to date, anyone wishing to go to France from Brazil can do so for a pressing ground” adding that “anyone must show a negative test when boarding, a negative test and a 10-day self-isolation period”, before announcing that flights between the two countries were eventually halted: “we decide to halt all flights between Brazil and France until further notice”.
For the record, last week, the extremely virulent strain of the virus killed 4,000 people per day, totaling 330,000 deaths in March only. In France, even though the variant is not very common – found in less than 1% of contaminations – it is said to resist more to the different vaccines and could make the ongoing vaccination campaign null and void.
