Seychelles On France’s Green List, Tourism Hopes Rise
France has relaxed the health-control requirements at its borders for travelers to and from the Seychelles by removing the island country from the COVID-19 orange list and placing it on the green list, according to the French government.
Following the implementation of the new law on March 14, travelers will only be needed to provide documentation of having had all necessary vaccinations upon arrival in France. Alternatively, if a person has not been vaccinated, he or she must show a negative PCR test result within 72 hours or a certificate of recovery from the virus that has been in effect for more than 11 days but less than six months.
France’s ambassador to the Seychelles, Dominique Mas, said in a news statement issued on Wednesday that the relaxation of health-related restrictions should result in a significant rise in the number of French tourists visiting the archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
Mas said that unvaccinated persons may now join us in Seychelles without having to defend their decision to do so; only a PCR test or evidence of recovery will be necessary at the admission to the French borders.
Prior to the inclusion of the Seychelles on France’s green list, leisure tourism was not deemed a convincing incentive for unvaccinated persons to visit the country.
The French government announced the adjustment on the same day that the Seychelles’ health ministry declared that persons who have been vaccinated are no longer need to have a negative PCR test before traveling to the island country.
I am convinced that the elimination of the necessary PCR test for persons who have received vaccinations and are traveling to Seychelles, which was just approved by the Victoria health authorities, would encourage our countrymen to visit and experience the hospitality of the Seychelles, said Mas.
In June 2021, France implemented a traffic light color-coding system to rate nations based on their health status in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was implemented in response to the epidemic.
COVID-19 positive cases in the Seychelles increased dramatically in December due to the presence of the Omicron variant, but since then the number of cases has declined significantly.
According to the most recent numbers released by the Ministry of Health on March 14, there were a total of 231 current COVID-19 cases in the Seychelles.
The Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, was one of 22 nations to be shifted from the orange list to the green list, as part of a global effort to combat climate change.
If a country is included on France’s orange list, the migration of French citizens into that country or the movement of foreign nationals into France is either restricted or permitted under limited circumstances.
According to the Ministry of the Interior’s website, an unvaccinated individual from an orange-listed nation will be required to continue to demonstrate a compelling cause for entering and “will still be eligible to be submitted to a random test upon arrival.” Travelers who test positive are required to be placed in isolation.