London (CNN) — Thousands of British holidaymakers have been trying to return home from France in an attempt to avoid new quarantine restrictions imposed by the UK government.
The rush came after the government announced late on Thursday that all people arriving in the UK from France, where Covid-19 infections rates are high, would need to self-isolate for 14 days from Saturday onwards.
The rule change, which came into force at 4 a.m. BST Saturday, also applies to those traveling to the UK from the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos Islands and Aruba.
Transport operators noted a steep surge in demand as people booked last-minute tickets in a race to beat the Saturday morning deadline.
The Eurotunnel Le Shuttle train service, which transports vehicles between France and the UK, was fully booked on Friday as a result of the increased demand, according to PA Media.
A spokesperson for the service told the news agency that 12,000 people attempted to buy tickets in the hour after the government’s announcement on Thursday, compared to the hundreds of requests it usually receives over the same time period.
British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government’s decision to end the travel corridors with France and the other destinations was based on the latest available coronavirus data.
“Data shows we need to remove France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks & Caicos & Aruba from our list of coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates down,” he tweeted on Thursday.
As of Friday, France and the Netherlands had Covid-19 case rates of 34.0 and 41.6 per 100,000 people, while the UK’s rate was 17.3, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Paris has vowed to take retaliation after the UK’s move, with French Minister of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune tweeting that his country is disappointed by the decision.
France is British holidaymakers’ second-most popular holiday destination behind Spain, which was recently put on the UK government’s quarantine list.
CNN’s Hanna Ziady contributed to this report.
