FRENCH Covid map, January 02 schools, aids, and other measures, here are the latest news

France begins limiting travel outside the EU to curb the spread of Covid-19

Planes at Terminal 2E at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy-en-France, May 12, 2020. © Eric Piermont, AFP

French border police turned away some passengers bound for destinations outside the EU on Monday after new rules banning flights to and from countries outside the bloc came into force at midnight. France has limited the reasons for travel outside the EU to urgent personal or family business, a health emergency or work-related voyages.

Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the new measures on Friday as part of new efforts to contain Covid-19 infections and avoid another nationwide lockdown.

By curbing international travel, the government hopes to get a better grip on the circulation of the coronavirus and its new, more contagious variants.

Valid personal reasons include:

The death or imminent death of a parent, grandparent or sibling. A doctor’s note or death certificate will be required.
A child visiting a parent who has shared custody or visitation rights. A court letter and proof of address will be required.
Assistance for someone old, ill or handicapped. A document establishing the relationship to the two people and the situation of the person needing help will be required.
A judicial summons. The traveller will need to show the summons.
A legal or economic reason that you cannot remain in the country, such as an expired visa.
Safety issues. Acceptable documents include protection orders.
Students beginning or ending a period of study abroad. They will be required to show documentation from the educational institution.
Travellers may return to their primary residence if their trip began before January 31, 2021. They will be required to show proof of residency, plus their outbound ticket.
Valid health reasons include:

Medical emergencies. A doctor’s letter or proof of hospital appointment will be required. Someone may accompany the patient.
Valid work-related reasons include:

Business activities that cannot be postponed or carried out remotely without disproportionate consequences. The traveller must have a letter from their employer.
Health professionals fighting Covid-19. They must show a professional ID.
Diplomatic missions and state work trips. Travellers must have professional ID and/or a letter from their ministry.
High-level professional sporting events. Participants must have professional ID and documentation from the sports ministry.
Travellers also must present proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before travel as well as a signed form asserting they have not been in contact with anyone diagnosed with Covid-19 during the previous 14 days. Those conditions must be also met upon return to France.

In addition, those returning to France must agree to be tested upon arrival if asked and must respect a voluntary quarantine of seven days, at the end of which they have to be tested again.

Passengers must first show the required documentation at airline counters during check-in and then again at border control, where agents were no longer allowing automated passport scanning but instead checking each document as passenger queues grew longer.

The time needed per passenger can easily reach five or 10 minutes, compared with just seconds usually, as agents try to determine whether someone has met the requirements for having an urgent motive to travel.

>> A full list of acceptable motives and required documents can be found on the French government website by clicking here.

Border police require written proof before allowing passengers to board – as Toure, a Malian national, found out when he tried to leave France for Bamako without the necessary documents.

"I said that my mother, whom I hadn't seen in a while, was ill but they told me I needed proof," Toure, who withheld his last name, told AFP at Paris's main airport, Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. After being turned away, Toure – who works for a French public works foundation – managed to reach his mother's doctor in Bamako, who sent him a barely legible note by WhatsApp. He tried again and this time was waved through.

"The idea is to limit the outbound-inbound loops between France and abroad," Julien Gentile, head of the border police for the Roissy and Le Bourget airports, told AFP.

President Emmanuel Macron has decided, for now, not to impose a third national lockdown, choosing a different path than France's neighbours such as Britain and Germany.

Health Minister Olivier Véran said Sunday that the number of new coronavirus cases had barely increased over the past week, while other indicators – such as traces of the virus detected in waste water – were also reassuring.

The French government put in place a strict nighttime curfew after a second lockdown ended in December.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
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Myanmar military coup draws condemnation from around the world

The incoming US administration joined governments around the world in condemning Myanmar's military coup on Monday, calling for the release of elected leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. China's response, however, was more muted.

The United Nations led condemnation of Myanmar's military after it seized power and detained Suu Kyi along with other politicians.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the developments were a "serious blow to democratic reforms" and urged all leaders to refrain from violence and respect human rights, a UN spokesman said.

'The military is clearly firmly in control'

In Washington, President Joe Biden's incoming administration expressed dismay at the military's declaration of a state of emergency and the detentions, which Myanmar's army said it had carried out in response to "election fraud".

"We call on Burmese military leaders to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on Nov. 8," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The White House said Biden had been briefed on the detentions.

"The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar's democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Biden later spoke out even more strongly. "The United States removed sanctions on Burma (Myanmar) over the past decade based on progress toward democracy," he said in a statement. "The reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action."

Myanmar coup: a 'swift response' from the White House

In Britain, the former colonial power, Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned "the coup and unlawful imprisonment of civilians, including Aung San Suu Kyi".

"The vote of the people must be respected and civilian leaders released," Johnson tweeted.

'Respect the rule of law'

Charles Michel, the head of the European Council, led EU reactions on Monday, tweeting that the "outcome of the elections has to be respected and democratic process needs to be restored."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for Suu Kyi's immediate release, slamming "an unacceptable threat to the democratic process". His German counterpart Heiko Maas said in a statement that "military actions jeopardize the progress made so far towards democratic change in Myanmar".

In Australia, Foreign Minister Marise Payne called on the military "to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others" who had been detained.

India's government expressed "deep concern" and reiterated its support for the "process of democratic transition in Myanmar", while Japan's foreign ministry urged the coup leaders in Myanmar to "restore democracy as soon as possible".

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's 'tainted' democracy icon

China, however, refrained from condemnation of the coup, urging all parties in Myanmar to "resolve their differences".

"China is a friendly neighbour of Myanmar and hopes the various parties in Myanmar will appropriately resolve their differences under the constitutional and legal framework to protect political and social stability," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing.

Wang said China, which shares a border with Myanmar and wields considerable influence in the country, was still "furthering our understanding of the situation."

Bangladesh, which is sheltering around one million Rohingya who fled violence in Myanmar, called for "peace and stability" and hoped a process to repatriate the refugees could move forward.

Singapore's Foreign Ministry also urged all parties to exercise restraint and work towards a positive and peaceful outcome, advising Singaporeans in Myanmar to stay vigilant "in view of the fluid situation".

Constitution 'specifically designed' to entrench military power

The detentions came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the military after the November 8 election in which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) scored a landslide win.

The army on Monday handed power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposed a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.

Before the coup, Washington, alongside several other Western nations, had urged the military to "adhere to democratic norms" in a January 29 statement that came as the commander-in-chief threatened to revoke the country's constitution.

Bob Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted that Myanmar's military "wrote the Constitution this way so they could do this".

"The Constitution of 2008 was specifically designed to ensure military power was deeply entrenched and protected," he said.

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MYANMAR
AUNG SAN SUU KYI
COUP D'ÉTAT
ANTONY BLINKEN
ANTONIO GUTE