A Lyon doctor claims that cross-border workers are partly responsible for the increase in Covid-19 infections in Haute-Savoie and Ain, the French départments that border Switzerland. The PCR screening test is not compulsory for travel between France and the UK. FILE PHOTO: Controls at the Spanish-French border in La Jonquera, Spain March 17, 2020 © Reuters / Nacho Doce France has threatened to quarantine incoming Spanish nationals, after the government in Madrid announced it would quarantine all incoming travelers. The measures, also aimed at appeasing French resorts operators complaining of an uneven playing field, will apply to France's borders with Switzerland and Spain, where it is expected ski slopes … The U.S. also leads the world in COVID deaths with nearly 120,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Spain reopened its borders to European tourist in a bid to kickstart its economy. French border and custom police control vehicles at the Dancharia border post during the re-opening of the border between France and Spain after several months of closure due to the coronavirus. From 5 November, national restrictions apply in England. Catalonia, which borders France, has been at the heart of a rebound in coronavirus cases since Spain lifted a nationwide lockdown one month ago. The announcement was made Saturday just hours before the president’s Tulsa, Oklahoma campaign rally, his first since the country went on lockdown because of the coronavirus. Revolutionary discovery or proof that too many useless academics live among us? These have replaced local COVID alert levels (tiers). Spain has announced it is considering plans to reopen its land borders with France and Portugal from 22 June. According to the guidelines’ “principle of non-discrimination,” member states should “allow travel from all areas, regions or countries in the EU with similar epidemiological conditions.”. China recorded 25 new cases and like South Korea, most of China’s cases were found in its capital, Beijing. Even as talk has shifted to opening up these frontiers again, the coronavirus remains a threat in Europe. France's international borders will remain mostly closed and mandatory, rapid COVID-19 tests will be given to arrivals. France has imposed a second national lockdown starting on October 30. In Austria, where the coronavirus has been all but contained, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Wednesday that its border with Germany will be fully reopened within a month. People walk on the Santiago bridge over the Bidasoa river separating Spain and France as Spain reopens its borders to most European visitors after the coronavirus … PHOTO: REUTERS Read RT Privacy policy to find out more. Spain is preparing to reopen its borders from early July - but Britons may have an extended wait before being able to travel there for holidays. Both countries had launched strict measures to bring the virus under control, but outbreaks are reappearing after they eased restrictions. Arrivals from France will be quarantined for 10 days, Reuters reported. The retaliation would apply to all countries restricting access for French citizens, an official at the palace told Reuters. These tit-for-tat restrictions appear to clash with the EU Commission’s guidelines on re-opening, published on Wednesday. Cases are rising fast across Europe, with France, Spain, Croatia and Hungary among countries reporting a recent spike in coronavirus infections. Border wars: France & Spain eyeing tit-for-tat Covid-19 travel quarantines, as EU leaves border control up to its members 14 May, 2020 20:19 . Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you, FILE PHOTO: Controls at the Spanish-French border in La Jonquera, Spain March 17, 2020 © Reuters / Nacho Doce, French pharma chief backtracks after promise Covid-19 vaccine will reach American patients first sparks ire, Still in the grip of Covid-19, US & Poland plan to practice defeating enemy on NATO’s ‘eastern flank’, It will ‘take months for EU travel to return to normal,’ says Irish PM Varadkar, Woke on steroids, Brexit breakthrough & Iran on brink of war: 2020 predictions from RT contributors. ... Germany will have opened four of its borders – with France, Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg – by June 15. Across Europe, the reopening of borders is anything but smooth. “When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more cases,” he said. The Spanish government announced on Wednesday that all travelers arriving from overseas will be subject to a 15-day quarantine, effective from Friday. People cross the border between France and Spain at Behobie, southwestern France, June 21, 2020. Coronavirus: Travel restrictions, border shutdowns by country. The state of alarm decreed on Sunday in Spain to curb the coronavirus pandemic gives regional governments the legal tools to take the mobility-restricting measures they consider necessary, such as closing city limits or even the borders of an entire region. But while Europe sees slow improvement, countries including Brazil, South Africa, India, and the United States are reporting alarming increases. However, the EU has no power to actually dictate border policy, and can only urge its members to go along with its proposals. The Elysee Palace hit back on Thursday, warning that France would retaliate with a similar measure, should the Spanish plan go ahead. France has said it would not rule out closing its border with the Catalan region of Spain as it experiences a 'significant rise' in infections, according to the French public health authority. France 'turning page' on coronavirus as schools, borders and workplaces reopen This article is more than 2 months old President Macron announces mandatory return to … All travellers arriving in Spain by air or sea will … The overall aim of the EU’s guidelines is to reopen much of the formerly borderless Schengen area in time for the vacation season, in a bid to save the union’s vital tourism industry. Yes. A day earlier, he said that controls along the country’s Swiss border will be eased within days. With more than 2.2 million cases, the U.S. has more infections than anywhere else in the world. … France calls on Spain to limit border crossings and advises against travel to Catalonia Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre, which all border France, have … Hey, Google, your censorship of 'Plandemic' only turned its author's book into #1 bestseller. Due to COVID-19 Spanish travel restrictions, U.S. citizens cannot enter Spain unless they meet very specific requirements or have already obtained special permission from the Government of Spain. Is there a health check when arriving in Spain? Spain has … The UK has done so, even in the face of threats from Brussels. France and Germany overcame differences to push the recovery plan forward; can they unite on other matters? The country’s Dutch and Belgian borders are already open, with local authorities performing spot checks on travelers. SPAIN has admitted a coronavirus second wave may already be underway as the UK air bridge faces being axed and France threatens to close the border. France will make random borders checks to stop people getting infected with COVID-19 by crossing into countries where ski resorts remain open, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday. These travelers will be locked down in their hotels or accommodation, and allowed out only to shop for groceries or visit healthcare facilities. This website uses cookies. While Catalonia, which includes Barcelona, has seen its own spike, France has also started to see increases as the tourism sector reopens. By mid-March, nearly half of the bloc’s 27 members had restored their old border restrictions. Europe accounts for half of the global tourist market, so rescuing this industry is of vital importance for Brussels. Benidorm, where Spain's tourism industry began, is symptomatic of struggle to save key industry. More than 100 million people already in lockdown as daily life grinds to a halt © Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “TV-Novosti”, 2005–2020. The hodgepodge relaxation of border controls mirrors the chaotic manner in which Europe shut itself down two months ago. O utbreaks of Covid-19 in France and Spain have caused fears of a second wave, and potential disruption for holidaymakers this summer. People cross the border between France and Spain at Behobie, southwestern France, June 21, 2020. Spain is taking new measures to cut a spike in coronavirus cases, amid fears of a more widespread "second wave". France and Spain among European cities to announce new restrictions as Covid-19 cases soar Spain has seen more cases than any other European country. 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World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that the pandemic is accelerating. Israel, Spain and France all fought the novel coronavirus into abatement in the first months of the pandemic with tough measures that won international praise. Six members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign advance team have contracted the coronavirus. As a Covid resurgence sweeps Europe, a growing number of countries are banning travelers from high-risk neighbors. Get short URL. As such, the union threatened to sue the British government this week, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson exempted French travelers from the country’s 14-day quarantine rule. Coronavirus: Borders close around Europe as death toll surges in Italy and Spain. Scientists say ‘invisible aliens’ live among us. NurPhoto via Getty Images No less than 15 countries in Europe including the U.K., France, Belgium and Spain face quarantine by fellow Europeans under the … Two weeks later, Hungary unilaterally shut its borders to all foreign citizens. However, travel between Poland and the Czech Republic and Germany will remain off the cards, and entry to non-bordering countries will remain banned until at least June 15. They must also report their arrival to Italian health authorities. However, Kurz offered no timeline for opening Austria’s Italian border, on the other side of which sits the virus hotspot of Veneto. Across Europe, the reopening of borders is anything but smooth. Brazil and Russia follow with more than one million and more than 576,000 infections, respectively. Countries around the world have taken drastic measures, including border closures, in an attempt to curb COVID-19. Though Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told MEPs last week that the Commission rejects selective border openings, that hasn’t stopped member states from making up their own rules. “We are in a new and dangerous phase,” Tedros said. Spain reopened its borders to European tourists on Sunday as the continent continues to ease lockdowns put in place to quell the spread of the novel coronavirus. Though it has left the European Union, Britain is still subject to the bloc’s freedom of movement rules. Ultimately, each state is responsible for its own borders. MADRID: Spain reopened its borders with France on Sunday, getting rid of one of the most potent symbols of Europe’s battle against the coronavirus, as infections in Latin America surged past two million. The Euro map is color … Germany will have opened four of its borders – with France, Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg – by June 15. Also, the borders between France and the UK are not closed. Once the country with the third-highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, Spain has now fallen to 7th place with nearly 246,000 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.