Washington – France is finalizing plans to lift restrictions on Americans traveling to the country who have received COVID-19 vaccines, said French President Emmanuel Macron, as the nation faces another wave of coronavirus cases.
“We will gradually lift the restrictions from the beginning of May, which means that we will organize during the summer with our professionals from France for European French citizens, but also for American citizens,” Macron said in an interview with “Face the Nation”. “which aired on Sunday. “So we are working hard to come up with a very concrete solution, especially for American citizens who are vaccinated, so I would have a special permit, I would say.”
France is currently in its third national blockade, as it fights another wave of coronavirus infections, schools closed until the end of April, limited travel and banned gatherings. In a national televised address late last month, Macron attributed the latest increase to new variants of coronavirus, which are more contagious and have created “an epidemic within an epidemic.”
The death toll in France from coronavirus has exceeded 100,000 and there have been more than 5.3 million confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Macron said on Sunday that French ministers were “finalizing technical talks” on reducing restrictions, and officials were drafting a certificate to facilitate travel between European countries with tests and vaccinations.
“The idea is really to give this to the American citizen when they decide to get vaccinated or with a negative PCR test,” he said. “So the idea is really to always control the virus, maximize vaccination and gradually lift restrictions.”
The latest increase in coronavirus cases in France comes as vaccinations in the country. However, Macron said that Europe is lagging behind, with accelerated production, positioning France to achieve its vaccination targets. However, some members of the European Union are considering securing their own supplies of Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, which has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency.
Asked if he would buy the vaccine from Russia, Macron mentioned that the European health authorities have not yet allowed it, so the vaccine cannot be used on French soil.
“At this stage, the Russian vaccine is not recognized by our authorities,” he said. “So I don’t think today’s Russian vaccine is a solution to an acceleration, because it will take a long time to get the authorization of the European agency and it will take a long time to produce such a vaccine on our continent.”
In addition to facilitating the vaccination of French citizens, Macron said that “it is not enough just to focus on rich countries.”
“I think between now and June, we need to send a maximum dose of vaccine, which is a small part of what we get for ourselves, to vaccinate health workers in Africa,” he said. “It’s very limited, but these guys are working hard to keep the health system going and that’s something we can do. And the same thing in Latin America. After the summer, we’re going to speed up these deliveries. We’re going to speed up that solidarity. And on top of that, what we have to offer is funding for these savings as well. “