France Will Reopen to Vaccinated Americans on June 9
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5/17/2021 France Will Reopen to Vaccinated Americans on June 9 | Condé Nast Traveler
Salim Batlouni
THE LATEST
France Will Reopen to Vaccinated Americans on June 9
Here’s what to know before you jump on a booking.
BY SHANNON MCMAHON
April 30, 2021
Hoping to travel to France’s sprawling vineyards, sparkling cities, and cobblestoned towns after
a year without European vacations? Rejoice if you’re fully vaccinated: French President
Emmanuel Macron told local media outlets this week that international tourists, including
inoculated Americans, can visit beginning June 9 as part of a broader tourism reopening.
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5/17/2021 France Will Reopen to Vaccinated Americans on June 9 | Condé Nast Traveler
The June travel restart plan comes two weeks after Macron told CBS on ‘Face the Nation’ he had
briefed President Biden’s administration on a tourism reopening plan. France is currently
undergoing a third national lockdown that has set a 7 p.m. curfew, but on Monday Macron
reopened schools and announced plans to allow non-essential business to reopen on May 19,
with a 9 p.m. curfew in place until early June, when the curfew is set to be pushed back to 11 p.m.
Macron expects curfews will be totally lifted on June 30, as long as public health data continues
to improve.
“From May 19, we must rediscover our French art of living, while remaining careful and
responsible: our conviviality, our culture, sport,” Macron told Le Parisien. "June 9, curfew at 11
p.m. and opening of cafes, restaurants, and sport. Finally on June 30, end of the curfew. "
Macron also announced that international tourists will be required to acquire a Pass Sanitaire, or
“health pass,” for entry from June 9, according to Reuters. The system, which will be both digital
and on-paper to start, according to Macron, is being billed as Europe's first vaccine certificate.
Macron noted that the program, which has not yet been deployed, is unlikely to be required by
small venues such as restaurants and other businesses, but could be helpful for large events like
festivals or at sports stadiums.
"A health pass will never be a right of access that differentiates the French," the president said.
"As it pertains to public liberties, parliament will debate the matter."
Americans have been banned from entering the European Union for nonessential reasons since
March 2020 due to the United States’ high level of coronavirus cases. France has tallied more
confirmed coronavirus infections than any other E.U. nation, at 5.5 million cases and 103,000
deaths. The country has so far administered initial doses of coronavirus vaccine shots to 22
percent of its population, with 15 percent of France fully vaccinated as of April 30, according to
Reuters. Those who are two weeks out from their final coronavirus shot are considered fully
vaccinated.
But how fast should vaccinated francophiles be searching for that flight? Travelers hoping to
travel to France this summer should temper expectations and consider what they want out of
their trip, travel specialists say, which will determine if and when you should book. Here’s what
experienced travel planners want you to know about going, and what Europe’s road to allowing
vaccine passports for entry looks like.
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5/17/2021 France Will Reopen to Vaccinated Americans on June 9 | Condé Nast Traveler
How to decide if you should you book a trip, and
when
Ready to hop a plane to Paris as soon as restrictions lift for vaccinated Americans? Travel
specialists call the announcement by Macron great news—with a few big caveats.
“The first reaction is ‘yay, it’s great if somebody is opening up,’” says Adamarie King, a travel
advisor for travel-xperts.com who has already started receiving requests for France bookings in
the 24 hours since Macron’s interview aired. “But then immediately of course we start thinking
about the logistics and making sure we have accurate information for our clients and don’t get
them in pickle.”
Even if restrictions lift as planned, slow vaccination rates in Europe could mean further case
waves and rolling restrictions throughout the summer, and the region is unlikely to get back to
business as usual right away. King says travelers who are intent on getting to France can find
flight and hotel availability for summer if they act fast, before pent-up demand starts selling out
flights, but that those early visitors should take the May opening “with a grain of salt.” The
solution: only book flexible flights and lodging in case the trip needs to be pushed back.
Early returners to France should also keep in mind their activities may be limited, says
Michaela Moore, a travel specialist with Creative Vacations. “I have lots of interest from
vaccinated clients, just kind of waiting for the green light to go,” Moore says. “But of course there
is this third lockdown, there’s potential for other restrictions, so it’s also about making sure
[you] are going to get the experiences needed to go.”
Moore advises that travelers seeking to spend all their time indoors at cultural institutions like
museums, historic sites, and fine-dining restaurants—which will likely operate at lesser
capacities or require and limit reservations—may want to push off their trips until 2022 to
ensure they will be able to do so. Those who are more interested in sticking to outdoor activities
and doing as the locals do, she says, are more likely to enjoy visiting, especially in summer, even
if there are restrictions in place.
For those open to the uncertainty of their itinerary and still want to visit in summer, Moore
suggests booking that flexible itinerary fast since travelers have been given the go ahead. If the
increasing flow of U.S. travel to the Caribbean and Mexico that came with spring-break season is
any indication, she says, hotels and flights will sell out quickly now that an opening
announcement has been made since there is so much “pent up demand” for any type of E.U.
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travel to reopen.
"We're obviously excited to see the possibility [of travel to France] is slowly starting to become a
reality, but even they are still not exactly sure how that will look,” Moore says. “They’re talking
about a vaccine type of passport that would be required and even that is unclear, but it's
encouraging news that we’re even talking about it.”
Will you need a vaccine passport?
As for the vaccine certificate Macron referred to, future visitors should expect to acquire a
health certificate confirming their vaccination in order to enter France, although the exact
details have not yet been announced. European Union officials also recently addressed the
rollout of an approved, optional vaccine passport for the E.U., called the Digital Green
Certificate, which the region has developed (but not yet deployed) for official proof of
vaccination and of negative test results among Europeans moving about the Schengen Area.
The European Commission estimates that the digital certificate will be in use by June, its press
office said in a statement Friday via email. For non-European travelers, the Commission
clarified that non-essential travel to the E.U. is still largely restricted.
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“At the moment, non-essential travel to the E.U. is restricted from third countries, except for a
limited number of countries,” European Commission press officer Katarzyna Kolanko said.
“Under the Commission proposals, a non-E.U. national who may travel to the E.U. can obtain a
Digital Green Certificate. The non-E.U. national could request a Digital Green Certificate from a
Member State he/she is traveling to, by providing all necessary information, including reliable
proof of vaccination. The Member State would then have to assess if reliable proof has been
provided and decide whether to issue a Digital Green Certificate.”
“Our ministers in charge are finalizing the technical discussions” around the tourism
reopening, Macron said in mid-April. “The idea is indeed to always control the virus, to
maximize the vaccination, and to progressively lift the restrictions.”
We’re reporting on how COVID-19 impacts travel on a daily basis. Find our latest coronavirus coverage here,
or visit our complete guide to COVID-19 and travel.
This article was last published April 19. It has been updated with new information.
TOPICS COVID19 DESTINATION NEWS
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