Eurostar Warns Brits They May Need Covid Booster to Visit France

(Bloomberg) -- Eurostar International Ltd. is warning passengers traveling from Britain to France that they may need a Covid booster vaccination to avoid having to quarantine in the wake of recent European Union rule changes.

Travelers through the Channel Tunnel no longer meet French requirements if their second shot was more than nine months ago and they haven't had a booster, Eurostar, whose trains link London with Paris and other European cities, said on its website.

The change took effect this week, less than two weeks before U.K. school holidays -- the first major travel period since Britain relaxed restrictions tied to the omicron variant of Covid-19. The one-week break, starting Feb. 14 for many students, is typically a busy time for family trips to France.

The EU said in December that the validity of vaccinations for travel purposes would be limited to 270 days from Feb. 1 as it seeks to unify travel rules across the bloc, though member states can adopt their own measures. Some may set shorter periods.

People who fall afoul of the French rule will be treated as unvaccinated, Eurostar said, requiring them to complete extra forms and tests and to isolate for 10 days.

A Eurostar spokeswoman said demand is surging as the impact of omicron wanes and testing rules are eased, with the half-term holiday looking “really busy.” Sales are also strong for March, when the firm expects to have returned to more than 50% of its pre-Covid capacity, Eurostar said.

Bookings at least nine weeks ahead are increasing as confidence picks up, and Eurostar expects to see an advance in corporate travel from this month, the spokeswoman said.