France is considering imposing tighter restrictions on travellers arriving from the UK.
“Regarding Britain, the current rule is to show a negative test less than 48 hours old in order to enter France,” French government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, told France Info radio on Tuesday.
“But we are always looking at means to tighten the framework, we are currently working on that and we should, I think, come to a conclusion in the coming days.”
The government has not indicated what extra rules British arrivals might face.
The news is worrying for those preparing to head to France to see family this Christmas or to embark on a ski trip over the festive period.
The UK is currently on France’s amber list, meaning only fully vaccinated Brits are allowed to enter the country for non-essential travel purposes.
All travellers aged 12 years or over must show proof of a negative Covid test from either a PCR or antigen test, taken no more than 48 hours before travel.
Test results must be certified by a laboratory to be accepted. The self-administered tests, such as those provided free of charge by the NHS, are not considered valid for the purpose of travel.
It comes as countries around the world impose new curbs to slow the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.
Several countries introduced strict border lockdowns, including Israel and Morocco, while others are demanding tighter testing requirements.
The UK has upped its testing protocols for inbound travellers once more, with those who are fully vaccinated required to present a negative lateral flow test before departure, plus take a PCR test within two days of arrival and isolate until they receive a negative result.
However, as of 4am on 15 December, all 11 African nations that were on the red list have been removed, meaning travellers from there no longer have to pay for an expensive 11-night stint in hotel quarantine.
“Now that there is community transmission, the travel red list is less effective,” said health secretary Sajid Javid.
