France Travel: Masks Dropped, But What About Boosters And Red Tape?

The French government has announced that it will drop its mask mandate on public transport, the one remaining place where it still exists (except for medical establishments). The rule will take effect from Monday, 16 May.

It was one of the final decisions of newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron’s Council of Ministers on Wednesday—he will soon announce his new Prime Minister and new line up of government ministers that will carry him into his second term as president.

Heath Minister Olivier Véran told the press that “wearing a mask remains recommended,” he added, but the rule is “no longer appropriate”—the rule was brought in almost two years ago to the day, on 11 May 2020, as the lockdowns were in full swing across European countries.

The move aligns with an EU recommendation to remove the mandatory requirement that people wear masks in transport hubs and on airplanes.

However, France is still one of the remaining EU countries to still have covid-related travel restrictions in place—many other EU travel restrictions have been scrapped across France’s neighbors. France, Spain, Italy and Germany, some of the biggest European travel guns, still have restrictions of some kind in place.

It is not known when France will drop all its Covid travel-related red tape. However, there has never been an easier time to visit during the past two years, as most restrictions have been dropped for most people, notably those that are fully vaccinated and come from a country that is classified as green (this list was recently expanded further).

Anyone with a booster can enter France and anyone traveling from a green-list country can enter for non-essential travel purposes—this list now includes the U.S. and the U.K.

France’s Vaccine Pass is no longer required to access public events and spaces, such as cinemas and concert venues.