France visit report

[Hm$(still)]

Lisa and I have arrived in Paris after spending about 10 days touring the Dordogne and Brittany. France is very, very different from the USA vis-a-vis its approach to COVID-19. First, everyone is wearing a mask indoors. I’d say mask compliance is well over 95% here. Second, at public venues which hold more than 50 people (e.g. museums, historic sites, etc.) one needs to show proof of vaccination or proof of a recent (I think <3 days) negative test to enter. Our CDC cards have worked everywhere so far for this. Come mid-August, the privilege of going to a restaurant will be conditioned on the same thing — vaccination or a recent test. Not surprisingly, France is rapidly overtaking the USA in vaccination rates despite having its own small contingent of anti-vaxx psychotics.

There are very few tourists, and Paris is quiet compared to past visits. Outside the city, we ran into many French people vacationing in the rest of the country earlier and/or longer than usual, but very few others.

Shops and restaurants are open — if they survived, and I’d guess that 15% did not. It’s not uncommon to see empty storefronts, although I don’t think the closures are quite as bad as what I saw in NYC on my recent trIp.

Oysters and whelks have impeded my normal twice-daily consumption of foie gras. The food is as always, wonderful.

Hm$

[JCNorthway]

Thanks for the report on the situation in France. In some ways, despite restrictions, it sounds like it is a good time to be there - with many fewer people.

[AKR]

Pretty interesting to hear from 'boots on the ground' how tourism is actually working in practice.

============

One of my colleagues left yesterday for visit to Istanbul.

A low level fear might be that he is appointed Governor of the Central Bank while there.

The current rulers have been cycling through central bankers - mostly firing their family members - as they search for some solution to the cratering lira.

[jal]

One of my colleagues left yesterday for visit to Istanbul.

A low level fear might be that he is appointed Governor of the Central Bank while there.

Ok, that's hilarious!

[jal]

) one needs to show proof of vaccination or proof of a recent (I think <3 days) negative test to enter. Our CDC cards have worked everywhere so far for this. Come mid-August, the privilege of going to a restaurant will be conditioned on the same thing — vaccination or a recent test.

Interesting, I know that the "Pass Sanitaire Activites" will be needed starting August 1st to enter any restaurant, café, museum, shopping center, Would that two bit CDC card also work?

[JimHow]

Thanks for the report, Agent Spector, we plug on I guess.

[SF Ed]

Glad to here your CDC card is working for you in France. We're planning on going to Italy in October and they have the same general rules as France. If our CDC cards worked in Italy, even if just in Florence rather than the rural areas we'll be in most of the time, we'd be in good shape.

SF Ed

[Hm$(still)]

This is the line to see the Mona Lisa in July. 3
Minute wait.

Hm$

[AlexR]

Hi,
New legislation governing the fight against Covid is in the process of being pushed through the (right wing) Senate which significantly modifies the original bill approved by the parliament.

https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/passe ... s-20210724
Horse trading is going on at the moment and it is hoped that the law will pass sometime today.
France is officially undergoing the fourth wave of the epidemic.
The antivaxers were out in force again demonstrating this weekend. Whereas it seems to me that these people in the US are mostly of the Trumpian persuasion, you get some strange bedfellows in France with libertarians marching with people on the far right. A vocal minority is upset that people in the health care industry will be legally obliged to be vaccinated by September. This seems only normal to me, but then, as the English say “There’s nowt so queer as folk”. Translation: “people can be pretty f’in strange”...

Over half the country is fully vaccinated, but a big push is on to reach 75/80%.
https://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/actua ... -800-000-d
Most French people download an app called TousAntiCovid with a QR code once they have been vaccinated. Flashing this code has very recently become necessary to go to public places with a capacity of more than 50 people. I had to do so yesterday when I went to the public library.
It was going to be necessary to show this code as of August 1st in cafés, bars, and restaurants, but that has been changed to September 15th.
It will not be necessary for sidewalk tables.
The restaurant trade is up in arms about this because they say that it is not their job to police people. And can you imagine the mess during the mealtime rush to make sure that everyone is vaccinated? I’m going to to see “The Maurtanian” later today. I’ll see what it’s like at the entrance to the movie theater…
This must all be a pain for foreign tourists. Are they supposed to take PCR tests every three days? Such tests have, until now, been free for French people (or foreigners like me with French social security coverage), but this will change in September.
The tests cost £ 300 in England!
Everyone here was hoping that the worst of the pandemic would be over by September. This unfortunately now looks like a pipe dream.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[jal]

Thank you Alex, this makes me want to go but now ticket prices are exorbitant; NYC-PAR $2,000 RT in premium economy!

[Antoine]

Covid Tests free in France? We caught covid end Jan early February and went to have tests in Provence, Paris surburb and Normandy. We knew tests were "free" but in all 3 labs we went to get tested before returning to UK (we needed negative tests), we were told to pay or no result/certificate. Isabelle showed the Macron decret to no avail, usual answer was "go and ask Macron to test you!" and one lab even refused to give us an invoice. Test labs in France have gone rogue (or gilet jaunes) but free tests are only legal... they don't exist for foreigners (I am actualle French but registered with NHS not Secu sociale...

[jal]

Crazy Antoine, in the US, tests are free and you only need a phone number and an email address.
Even vaccines are free for foreigners, my cousins, Mexican citizens, who live in Mexico City couldn't get a vaccine there and flew to Dallas for the first dose and to San Diego for the second one.
Btw, the sanitary pass for activities in france is into effect from what I understand. The postponing to September 15 is only for workers in museums, cafes and restaurants to get vaccinated. No need for a pass if you're going to shopping malls or for café outdoor seating.
As Alex said, foreigners, even vaccinated ones, will need a Covid test every 3 days to get a valid pass.
I give up. We're off on a road trip in the US. No idea where to, for now heading north.

[DavidG]

As Alex said, foreigners, even vaccinated ones, will need a Covid test every 3 days to get a valid pass.
I give up. We're off on a road trip in the US. No idea where to, for now heading north.

I saw that in Alex' post. But Howard's experience was that proof of vaccination was adequate. Only without that was a negative test within 72 hours required?

In any case, if you make it all the way up to Baltimore, Jacques, let us know. Would love to see you and Jill again.

[jal]

Thanks David, it'll be great to see you guys. I'll keep you posted

[greatbxfreak]

Alex,

You're forgetting EU citizens, who are not needing PCR test every 3 days, with a corona pass as proof of full vaccination!

[Hm$(still)]

As I understand it, the “activities” for which you need the pass sanitaire (or an equivalent such as our CDC card) are currently events (e.g. concerts) and public facilities such as museums. Restaurants won’t require it at all until September and then only for indoor dining.

My experience is consistent with this.

Hm$

[JimHow]

Thanks for the reports Howard, very helpful.

[jal]

I asked the travel section of the Washington Post:

Short of getting a Covid test every 3 days, is there a way for vaccinated Americans in France to get a Sanitary Pass allowing them to enter cafes, restaurants, museums, shopping centers, etc...?



This was the answer:

Mary Winston Nicklin
Guest Columnist
In order to encourage vaccinations and stem the tide of the Delta variant, the French government now mandates the use of a "health passport," or EU Digital COVID certificate, to access museums, cinemas, and other public spaces. This passport shows official proof of vaccination, a recent negative test, or recent recovery from COVID-19. This is accessible via the government's Tous Anti Covid app . (Note that the vaccine must be one of the four that's been approved by the EU: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Janssen/Johnson.) The easiest way to synch an American proof of vaccination is to take your card to a local French pharmacy and a pharmacist can input it into the European system. Note that monuments like the Eiffel Tower will allow access even if you don't use the app-- you can show proof of full vaccination from your country of origin and your ID .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... at-travel/

[SF Ed]

Great question and answer, Jacques! I'll bet there would be a lot more US/EU tourism if people knew that.

SF Ed

[Hm$(still)]

I would take issue with the statement that the “Pass Sanitaire” is a requirement. I think it would be more precise to say that proof of vaccination — in some acceptable form — is required, and at least as of now, our CDC card has been acceptable at every venue. That, of course, could change, and the course of action described would be ideal. But inspiring an exasperated French pharmacist to input my data into the European database is well beyond my linguistic and persuasive abilities.

Hm$

[jal]

I hear you Howard, and I trust your experience more than any Washington Post correspondent. I just wanted to know what the official line was. In any case I asked the question four days ago and it was answered only today

I imagine if one could get a pharmacist to enter their negative Covid test on their Tous Anti Covid app, the same pharmacist could enter the vaccination proof in the same app.

The whole situation is very confusing for potential US tourists, but expecting clarity from politicians is probably wishful thinking

[Hm$(still)]

Final thoughts

Restaurant recommendation - L'Oseille
Address: 3 Rue Saint-Augustin, 75002

Departure at CDG is a complete shitshow, much like the New Delhi airport in the late 1990s. We arrived 3 hours before departure, had no more than 40 people in line in front of us at the United counter and barely made our flight. It took 2 hours to process 40 people for check-in. The next hour was security and immigration.

Hm$

[AKR]

New Delhi is a sh1tshow. Back in 1981 they tried to prevent my mom from departing with her kids (us) until she blew a gasket and went berzerk. Probably the only time I've ever seen 88 lbs of her go full on rabid Doberman

[JimHow]

Lol.... And lucky for all of us that she did!