Lunchtime News Friday 25th June 2021

News

Slowdown in vaccination campaign - The French government has expressed its concern over the slowdown in the covid vaccination campaign as the number of appointments being made for the first dose drops dramatically.  As the government attempts to stick to the goals set and avoid a fourth epidemic wave there is also the threat of the Delta covid variant.

Screening at Dunlop in Amiens after 15 cases of covid identified - On Thursday a vast screening operation was launched within the company Dunlop in Amiens, which has 950 employees, after 15 cases of covid were identified including seven of the Delta variant.

Delta variant causes concern in Europe - As concerns grow about the Delta variant the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has called for all EU countries to follow their guidelines and impose an obligatory quarantine on visitors from the UK. France’s current policy of allowing fully vaccinated UK travellers to visit without an essential reason is in line with EU guidelines. 

Intensive care patients at its lowest since mid-October - Meanwhile Public Health France has said that there are currently less than 1,500 intensive care patients, the lowest since mid-October. The number of people hospitalized is also continuing to decline, with 9,392 patients.

Driving license deal between UK and France - Details of a new deal concerning driving licenses for UK citizens in France have been revealed. On Thursday June 24th the British government reported that the deal for those living in France with UK licenses would not involve having to take a French driving test. 

If you have been driving on a UK licence that was issued before January 1st, 2021 it will be recognised in France as long as it is within its validity date.

If your licence has already expired or is due to expire you will, when new systems go live, be able to exchange it for a French licence. Once you have applied you will receive an attestation de dépôt sécurisée which you can use to drive in France until the new licence arrives.

If your UK licence was issued on or after January 1, 2021 you will be able to continue using your licence for up to one year from the date of issue of your residency permit. If you wish to stay longer you must exchange it for a French one, but you will not be obliged to take a French driving test.

Deadline for residency card extended - Meanwhile the deadline to apply for the French residency care has been extended by three months. Britons will now have until September 30th to apply for their card with the website remaining open. All British adults who were living in France by December 31 last year must apply for one of the cards in order to secure their legal right to live and work in France – unless they have an EU/EEA/Swiss dual nationality.

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