France shuts borders to non-EU travellers only allowing essential journeys just hours after Covid vaccine export row

FRANCE will close its borders to non-EU countries except for essential travel, Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced. The measure, which comes into force from Sunday, comes amid a furious row between the EU and Brit firm Astrazeneca over the delivery of vaccine doses. Announcing the measures, Mr Castex stopped short of imposing a new […]

FRANCE will close its borders to non-EU countries except for essential travel, Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced.

The measure, which comes into force from Sunday, comes amid a furious row between the EU and Brit firm Astrazeneca over the delivery of vaccine doses.

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France will close its borders to non-EU countries except for essential travel, Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced[/caption]

Announcing the measures, Mr Castex stopped short of imposing a new lockdown despite infection rates remaining high in France.

Anyone entering the country from the EU must give a negative PCR test, the PM added.

Sources told the BBC the decision would not be applied to hauliers.

Mr Castex also announced tighter controls on the number of people allowed into shopping malls and increased police controls against people breaking a 6pm curfew.

He stressed the “next few days will be decisive” as the country seeks to avoid another shutdown.

It comes as the British government has warned the EU it is considering action after the bloc imposed export controls on vaccines and impinged on the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove spoke to his counterpart on the EU-UK joint committee, Maros Sefcovic, to “express the UK’s concern over a lack of notification from the EU about its actions in relation to the NI protocol”.