UK orders travellers from France to quarantine on return home

Travellers returning to England from France will have to quarantine at home for 10 days even if they are fully vaccinated, the UK government said on Friday.

From July 19, travellers from amber list countries will no longer have to quarantine following a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions.

However, authorities in England have decided to retain quarantine restrictions for visitors to France due to an elevated number of cases in France of the Beta variant, first detected in South Africa, the Department of Health said in a statement.

The announcement comes only days before the England so-called Freedom Day, on which almost all Covid restrictions, such as social distancing and mask-wearing, will end.

England's unlocking plans will proceed on July 19 despite threat of virus variants

Scientists have voiced their concerns over the easing due to the country's alarming rate of new coronavirus infections.

Those arriving from countries on the amber list, which includes other popular European holiday destinations like Italy, Portugal and Spain, currently need to quarantine at home for up to 10 days and submit to two tests.

From Monday, they will only need to show proof of vaccination in the UK to their airline, ferry or train operator and take a test on the second day after arrival.

But “anyone who has been in France in the last 10 days will need to quarantine on arrival to England in their own accommodation and will need a Day 2 and Day 8 test, regardless of their vaccination status,” the health ministry said.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wears a mask as he rides on a London Underground train. Mr Khan has asked Transport for London to enforce mask-wearing on buses and trains, even after legal restrictions in England are lifted on July 19..

People queue at a Covid-19 drop-in vaccination centre at The Abbey Centre in Westminster, London.

A long queue forms outside the Covid-19 vaccination centre at The Abbey Centre, London, where people can be inoculated with doses made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves No 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister’s Questions at Parliament in London.

People wears face masks at morning rush hour at Waterloo train station in London. City mayor Sadiq Khan said he was ‘not prepared’ to put tube, bus and other transport users in the capital ‘at risk’ by removing rules on face coverings.

A passenger wears a face mask as she travels on a bus in central London.

People head through ticket barriers after disembarking a train at Waterloo train station in London.

Mask-wearing passengers emerge from the London Underground.

Health policy in other UK nations Scotland and Wales is set by their own devolved governments.

“With restrictions lifting on Monday across the country, we will do everything we can to ensure international travel is conducted as safely as possible, and protect our borders from the threat of variants,” UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in the statement.

Britain is one of the countries hit worst by Covid-19 in Europe, with more than 128,500 deaths.

On Friday, the number of new daily cases hit its highest level since January at over 50,000 — but the figures have not turned Prime Minister Boris Johnson aside from his July 19 deadline to lift restrictions.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

SPECS

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On Women's Day

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Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP

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While you're here

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MATCH INFO

Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)

Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14

Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)

Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31

Bangla Tigers win by six wickets

If you go

The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.

Company%20profile

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The story in numbers

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

While you're here

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Sheikh Mohamed and the King of Malaysia in 1979

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Martin Puchner
Granta

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.