If you have planned to spend Christmas in Corsica or in the overseas territories, get ready to be tested. For the Isle of Beauty, the prefect of Corsica, Pascal Lelarge and the director ofRegional health agency (ARS), Marie-Hélène Lecenne, announced it on December 12 during a press conference in Ajaccio. People wishing to go to Corsica during the end of the year celebrations must have done a PCR or antigen test 72 hours before boarding a boat or plane to the island.

Read also: Covid: our advice for safe travel for the holidays

Up to 72 hours before travel

Thus, presenting a negative test will be a condition required to go to Corsica for all people over 11 years old, from December 19 until January 8.

“This obligation will consist in carrying out a test within 72 hours before boarding. We consider that the very wide availability of tests, whether PCR or antigenic, should not pose any difficulty for visitors.“, explained the prefect.

Proof to present “in case of control”

In practice, the results of these tests will not be directly requested by the various airlines or shipping companies from passengers. But they will have to fill out a sworn statement before boarding, certifying that they are not positive for covid-19 and do not show symptoms.

“People must have on them and be able to present, in the event of a police check, proof from the laboratory or pharmacy proving that they have passed the test“, underlined the prefect. Any infringement will be punished with a fine of 135 euros.

Stricter obligation for overseas territories

However, this system is more flexible than the one implemented in overseas territories, such as Reunion, Guadeloupe or Martinique. Travelers from mainland France must indeed present a negative test carried out less than 48 hours before boarding to board the plane.

Low incidence areas to protect

In Overseas France as in Corsica, the incidence rates of the coronavirus have fallen sharply. In the West Indies and Reunion, there is no longer even containment, restaurants have reopened and few restrictions persist.

But significant flows of visitors are expected, especially visitors from metropolitan France where the virus is still actively circulating. The mandatory tests are therefore aimed at avoiding a massive arrival of the virus in territories currently spared.