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Paris – French authorities confirmed the first case of the new variant of the coronavirus that caused strict confinement in Britain and international travel restrictions.
A Frenchman living in England arrived in France on December 19 and tested positive for the new variant on Friday, the public health agency said in a statement. He had developed no symptoms and was isolated in his home in the city center of Tours, in the center of the country.
Authorities were tracking the individual’s contacts and labs were analyzing the results of other people who may have contracted the new variant, the statement said.
Some European countries have also reported cases of the new variant, which British authorities said appears to be more contagious and was spreading rapidly.
Britain’s announcement, made on December 19, caused several countries to suspend flights from the United Kingdom, and France banned entry to all passengers and cargo from the nation for two days, causing huge traffic problems in the British port of Dover.
France reopened the border, but is now asking anyone coming from Britain to present evidence that it is not infected with the new variant.
A second partial confinement significantly reduced French coronavirus cases, but they have increased again in the last two weeks. France has one of the highest numbers of deaths due to the virus in the world.