U.S. travelers could be back to exploring the French countryside and iconic attractions like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower in June.
French President Emmanuel Macron has laid out a reopening plan that would allow U.S. passport holders to enter France beginning June 9, assuming COVID-19 levels remain under control and visitors can present proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test, The Local France reports.
Also on June 9, France plans to allow cafes and restaurants to resume regular service until 11 p.m. Events with up to 5,000 participants will also have the green light to go ahead.
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U.S. passport holders have been prohibited from traveling to France since March 2020. France has loosed restrictions on travelers from certain countries, including Australia and New Zealand, though.
People traveling to France must provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours. Anyone coming from India or Brazil must also quarantine for 10 days upon arrival or face sharp fines for breaking rules.
As part of its reopening plan, idyllic French cafes will be able to reopen on May 19, and restaurants will be allowed to seat a maximum of six people outdoors with a curfew of 9 p.m. Museums, theaters, concert halls, and non-essential shops will also be permitted to reopen their doors, albeit with capacity restrictions.
This week, France will begin reopening its schools. "We have taken on the responsibility of the priority on education and the strategy of living with the virus, including with high numbers of infections, higher than those of our neighbors," Macron said, according to the Associated Press.
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The country is currently under its third COVID-19 lockdown, and while vaccinations are underway, tens of thousands of new cases are being reported each day. So far, France has documented more than 5.5 million COVID-19 cases and more than 103,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
According to Reuters, about 22% of French citizens have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
