France to impose 10-day quarantine for travelers coming from Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – France will order a strict 10-day quarantine for all travelers coming from Brazil starting April 24, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday, in a bid to prevent the spread of a coronavirus variant first found in the South American county.

France decided this week to suspend all flights to and from Brazil. The measure will be extended until April 23, the prime minister’s office said in the same statement.

Starting April 24, only people residing in France or holding a French or European Union passport will be allowed to fly to the country.

The government will impose a 10-day quarantine on all travelers upon arrival, the prime minister’s office said, and authorities will make checks before and after the flight that the travelers made the proper arrangements to isolate themselves.

The police will also be used to ensure the quarantine is respected, it said. Prior to boarding on the plane, authorized travelers will be required to present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that is less than 36 hours old.

The same measures will also gradually be put in place by April 24 for people returning from Argentina, Chile and South Africa, where the presence of other coronavirus variants was detected, the prime minister’s office said.

A 10-day quarantine will also be imposed on travellers coming from French Guiana, an overseas department of France on the northeast coast of South America with a large land border with Brazil.