Despite new corona highs: France is softening quarantine rules

Despite ever new corona highs, France is softening its quarantine rules. In addition to shortened deadlines, there is no quarantine for fully vaccinated contact persons. This is how the government wants to prevent the country from coming to a standstill.

Despite a record number of new corona infections, France is shortening its quarantine periods. Fully vaccinated people only have to be quarantined for seven days from Monday onwards, Health Minister Olivier Véran announced in the Sunday newspaper “Le Journal du Dimanche”. The quarantine can be shortened to five days with a negative rapid test or PCR test. For those who are not or not fully vaccinated, there is a quarantine of ten days, which can be shortened to seven days with a negative test. Contact persons who are not or not fully vaccinated must continue to be in quarantine for seven days.

“Preventing the destabilization of social life”

Fully vaccinated contacts, on the other hand, no longer have to be quarantined in France from Monday, provided they test themselves every other day within six days. The corresponding tests are available free of charge in the pharmacy. The relaxation of the quarantine rules should prevent a destabilization of social and economic life, stressed Véran. Because if all of France were in quarantine, the country would come to a standstill.

France had previously recorded more than 200,000 new corona infections for the fourth day in a row. On Saturday, 219,126 infections with Sars-CoV-2 were registered. This is the second highest value since the beginning of the pandemic.

While the quarantine rules are being relaxed, other corona measures are to be tightened from Monday due to the sharp rise in the number of infections, as the authorities announced.

Mask compulsory even for smaller children

Among other things, according to the authorities, children from the age of six are obliged to wear a protective mask on public transport and in restaurants. So far, children under the age of eleven have been exempt from the mask requirement.

As a further measure against the spread of the coronavirus, on-board catering in trains in France must also close from Monday, and all guests in bars and restaurants must have a seat. Many departments and cities, including the greater Paris area and the metropolis of Lyon, announced additional measures. There has been a mask requirement on the street since Friday.

Further tightening is expected from mid-January

On Monday, a bill to tighten the rules for unvaccinated people will be voted on in the Chamber of Deputies in Paris. The assumption is considered certain. Probably from January 15, people over the age of twelve will be required to have a corona vaccination for various leisure activities and for access to restaurants, bars, trade fairs and national public transport. A negative test is then no longer sufficient.

Head of State Emmanuel Macron also referred to the current pandemic situation in France in his New Year’s address. He said the coming weeks would be “difficult”. Because of the corona vaccinations, there are also “real reasons to hope”.