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The French government is going to impose a period of obligatory quarantine for people coming into the country from the UK.
Speaking after the weekly cabinet meeting, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the decision was being made due to the prevalence in the UK of the COVID-19 variant B.1.617, the mutation that was first identified in India.
Currently, incoming travelers from the UK have to swear to isolate for seven days then get a negative PCR test to release themselves after a week in quarantine.
The change of policy forces people inbound from Britain to isolate for 10 days and makes it legally enforceable.
People in isolation will be allowed out each day between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. local time for essential shopping only.
A $1,200 fine will be handed out to anyone violating the new restriction, rising to $1,800 for the second offense.
French people have just started enjoying the recent reopening of bars, cafés and restaurants after months of lockdown. /Reuters/Eric Gaillard/File
The obligatory quarantine is already in place in France for travelers arriving from 15 countries, including Brazil, India and Turkey.
People coming in from a country on the quarantine list must also show proof of a negative PCR test carried out no longer than 36 hours before entering France.
The current requirement is for a test to be taken no longer than 48 hours before travel.
The news comes as the country as a whole is seeing broadly positive trends in its health situation.
At the moment, France only allows traveling to and from EU countries, while any international travel - to or from France - from a country outside the European area is prohibited. /Reuters/Stephane Mahe/File
The number of people in hospital in France has fallen below 20,000 and the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care is now below 3,500.
COVID-19 cases, acute cases, deaths from the disease and the incidence rate fell for a fifth consecutive week.
But France's National Academy of Medicine has recommended making coronavirus vaccinations gradually compulsory for certain professions.
The government is currently opposed to the idea of obligatory injections.
More than 23 million people have had at least one COVID-19 vaccination and 10 million have had two doses.
The academy says children and adolescents must also be vaccinated in order to achieve "sufficient collective immunity to control the epidemic."
The institution argues that without sufficient vaccination coverage "we fear that in September we will have a recovery as we saw the previous year, which will still require a new lockdown."
