France closes door on arrivals from the UK

Travelers need to show visit necessary, conduct test, and self-isolate after entry

France is urging would-be arrivals from the United Kingdom not to visit, in a move aimed at slowing the spread of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.

The French government said on Thursday travelers from the UK will, from Saturday, need a compelling reason to enter the country, such as to return home, or visit family.

Paris said arrivals from the UK, whether vaccinated or not, will be turned back if they traveled for tourism reasons, or because of nonurgent work.

Those who do qualify to enter will need to produce a negative PCR or antigen test at the border that is less than 24 hours old. They will then have to self-isolate in France for a week, although the term can be shortened for people who then produce a second negative test result.

A spokesman for Brittany Ferries told the BBC: "These new measures could be a hammer blow to our Christmas season. In the context of an Omicron variant that is passing through the French population as it is in the UK, further border controls seem as unnecessary as they are unwelcome."

The UK's transport secretary, Grant Shapps, later tweeted that he had been assured the restrictions will not apply to truck drivers.

The clampdown on arrivals from the UK followed the nation recording 78,610 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, which was the nation's highest-ever total.

England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 was infecting people at an "absolutely phenomenal pace" and will surely lead to other unwanted records being broken in the coming days.

Whitty said that despite relatively lax government rules on social mixing, people should choose not to "mix with people (they) don't have to".

He said the number of Omicron cases in the UK had been doubling every two days, which the BBC said means there could be 640,000 infections recorded on Christmas Day, and the entire population being infected by early in 2022.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during a news conference on Wednesday evening the government's biggest concern is the National Health Service being overwhelmed.

He said people can help protect the NHS by limiting social contacts and, despite pubs and restaurants not being ordered to close, people should "think carefully before (they) go".

Johnson has consistently said the UK government is pinning its hopes on its booster jab program, which has now jabbed 80 percent of the nation's most vulnerable people.

Government scientists believe most people who have had two jabs and a booster shot should be protected from serious illness and death, although that has not yet been proven.

With people being urged to limit their social contacts, The Guardian newspaper noted companies and families have been cancelling hotel, bar, and restaurant bookings in their droves.

The Financial Times said the UK's main opposition, the Labour Party, had called on the government to help companies in the hospitality sector survive what many see as a lockdown by stealth.

The FT said the Labour Party and business groups in the hospitality sector believe Chancellor Rishi Sunak should offer financial support.

Rachel Reeves, the Labour Party's shadow chancellor, and Jonathan Reynolds, its shadow business secretary, said in a joint letter to Sunak that trade groups feel they have "not had proper engagement from government" recently.

"Businesses face a perfect storm of cancelled bookings, rising costs, and staff shortages," they wrote. "It is time the government came forward with their plans to ensure our great British businesses and their workers have the clarity and support they need to weather this storm."