France says not to quarantine travelers from Schengen area, Britain

PARIS - Travelers to France who arrive from Europe's Schengen area or Britain will not undergo a compulsory two-week quarantine, as France prepares to ease COVID-19 curbs after a two-month lockdown, the Elysee Palace said Sunday.

Quarantine rules will not apply to "anyone arriving from the European Union, the Schengen zone or Britian, regardless of their nationality," the presidency said, adding that rules on French and European Union (EU) citizens arriving from other regions outside the bloc "will be announced in the coming days."

On Saturday, Minister of Health Olivier Veran announced that the French government has extended the country's "health emergency" status until July 24 to combat the pandemic, and that anyone entering the country will have to remain in isolation for two weeks.

The status, first declared on March 24, has been extended because lifting it as previously scheduled on May 23 "would be premature," as the risks of a resurgence are present, the minister told a news conference.

Figures released by the French Health Ministry on Sunday showed that the total number of cases in France has reached 131,287, while the death toll has risen to 24,895.