Good Samaritan’s heartache as her £3,000 luxury Alps trip is cancelled by Macron’s travel ban
Good Samaritan’s heartache as her £3,000 luxury Alps trip is cancelled by Macron’s travel ban on Brits while thousands rush today to get across Channel before borders close TONIGHT
Thousands today rushed to get across the Channel before borders close tonightKelly Levell, 33, battled to get a full refund on her £3,000 trip to the AlpsShe planned to go with friends before her health condition worsened with ageOnly those with ‘compelling reasons’ will be able to enter France from midnight
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A Good Samaritan has described her heartbreak after her £3000 luxury trip to the Eiffel Tower and the Alps was cancelled by Emmanuel Macron‘s travel ban on Britons.
Thousands today rushed to get across the Channel before borders close tonight, while Kelly Levell, 33, battles to get a full refund on her trip.
Ms Levell, from Bournemouth, told MailOnline she wanted to go to the Alps for a final time before her body deteriorated because of her progressive health condition Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which affects her heart.
The charity volunteer, who donates enough toiletries to help 100 homeless people in her area every two weeks, was devastated when Macron announced a ban on travel to the country from Britain.
She is now desperately trying to get a refund for her £3,000 holiday to the Alps luxury Spa Resort.
Under President Emmanuel Macron’s new rules France will sharply restrict travel to and from Britain from midnight tonight, with only those with ‘compelling reasons’ able to enter.
Thousands today rushed to get across the Channel before borders close tonight, while Kelly Levell (pictured during a beach clean with her support dog Frankie), 33, battles to get a full refund on her trip
Queues for Trains at Eurostar at Kings Cross St Pancras station today
Photographs at London’s St Pancras showed dozens of suitcase-laden passengers heading inside to catch the Eurostar
Ms Levell (pictured), who was due to drive to France on December 29 – the day of her 34th birthday – said: ‘This might be the last time I can try and do it. I don’t know if I’ll do it again’
Following the move, flights, trains and ferries to France on Friday sold out within hours as travellers made desperate attempts to get to the country before the new ban came into force.
Photographs at London’s St Pancras showed dozens of suitcase-laden passengers heading inside to catch the Eurostar.
Ms Levell, who was due to drive to France on December 29 – the day of her 34th birthday – said: ‘This might be the last time I can try and do it. I don’t know if I’ll do it again.
‘I feel disheartened and let down by the French government. If you look at the stats we’ve got less cases. I’m perplexed why they made that call. It’s just France as far as I’m aware. The one place I chose to go.’
She was due to travel to France with her support dog Frankie, her brother and three friends – with a ferry back booked for January 3.
‘We were going to stop in Paris for one night and in the morning head to the Eiffel tower, have breakfast and then drive to the Alps and arrive at 5.30pm. I’ve always planned to see the Eiffel tower. It’s on my bucket list.’
Ms Levell wanted to see if she was capable of snowboarding before her condition, a Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, worsened with age.
‘This trip was my chance to see how capable I am, as well as a holiday which I haven’t had for two years now.
‘My emotional support dog Frankie has incurred me additional cost for things like his passport and jabs in order for him to be able to travel with me. I was very much looking forward to taking Frankie with me.
‘After all of the amazing community work he’s been doing this year with We Do Ethical. He brings the smiles for the homeless when we provide toiletries to hand out at the bi-weekly Hope for Food outreach and beach clean ups supporting Dorset Mind charity.
‘I had planned to take him to the alpine lodges and have some fun together in the snow, which he’s never seen before.’
Passengers with suitcases headed to London’s St Pancras station today
Queues of passengers formed outside St Pancras Friday as people headed across the Channel
Eurostar reported a rise in bookings and the aviation analytics company Cirium, said there were 540 flights scheduled between the UK and France before Christmas Day
Passengers are heading to the Eurostar hoping to get across to France for Christmas
This chart shows the proportion of all cases that are Omicron (red) according to the latest genetic sequencing data on December 13. France sequences far fewer cases than the UK, but the super-mutant strain makes up a higher proportion of those they do sequence than in the UK.
The UK has far more cases than France of the virus and its new strain which is spreading fast
The UK is below many other European countries for number of Covid cases per million
The Omicron variant is already growing rapidly in France and although it has detected fewer cases in total, it sequences far fewer cases
Omicron cases in the UK are shown taking off in December, starting on the 3rd of the month
France reported on Tuesday over 63,400 positive Covid tests, the highest figure since April, while almost 2,800 people are in intensive care with the illness. Pictured: A graph showing the seven-day rolling average of new Covid-19 cases in France
Pictured: A graph showing the seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus deaths in France
She now hopes she will be able to get her money back. ‘I’m currently trying to obtain a refund for all of the costs amounting to around £3k for this trip.
‘I have made contact with the resort and also my travel insurance providers, so I’m hoping that I may at the very least be able to redeem my costs and not be left out of pocket as well as out of luck.’
Ms Levell has been volunteering for a homeless charity since 2010. She said: ‘With Hope For Food I buy all the toiletries ourselves. I have a wishlist on Amazon but no one has given me anything yet. I go and buy shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, wipes. I put them in veg boxes, put them in the wall and the homeless get their food and get toiletries off me.’
Eurostar reported a rise in bookings and the aviation analytics company Cirium, said there were 540 flights scheduled between the UK and France before Christmas Day.
Meanwhile Cross-Channel ferry operators said they too had experienced a surge in bookings from travellers.
Eurostar is urging people to avoid London St Pancras station unless they have a pre-booked ticket and a negative coronavirus test result.
Most of the firm’s train services on Friday were sold out as many people brought their Christmas travel plans forward after the new restrictions were announced on Thursday.
Ferry operators and airlines have also experienced a surge in demand.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said tough restrictions will be enforced from 11pm UK time on Friday, including a requirement for ‘compelling reasons’ to travel to or from the UK.
Trips for tourism or business will not be permitted.
Mr Castex’s office said this is ‘in the face of the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the United Kingdom’.
People intending to travel through France to other countries can only continue with their trip if they are remaining in the international area of an airport for under 24 hours.
Those allowed to enter France will need to provide evidence of a negative coronavirus test taken less than 24 hours in advance, and must isolate for at least two days.
President Macron’s new rules France will sharply restrict travel to and from Britain from midnight tonight
Hauliers and transport workers are exempt from the new rules. Travel firms described the tourism ban as a ‘hammer blow’.
Eurostar’s Twitter account has been inundated with messages from people wanting refunds. The company is offering customers the opportunity to rebook without a fee, or a voucher.
Trade association Abta has requested an ‘urgent meeting’ with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to discuss the sector’s ‘current financial situation and its pressing need for financial support’.
Chief executive Mark Tanzer said: ‘The Government has recognised the plight of the UK hospitality sector, with trade down by 40% in December.
‘But at the same time, the travel industry, where income has been down by 78% this year, and further impacted by Omicron restrictions since late November, continues to be ignored.
‘Over the past fortnight, we have heard nothing from Government about how travel and tourism might be supported. The time to act is now.’
Tickets to France sold out within hours yesterday after France confirmed British travellers would be banned. Pictured: A plane landing a Lille Lesquin airport in France
The news will be a blow to any Brits who had booked a holiday in France over the next month
Londoner Derek Lubne, who made it to Paris on Thursday just ahead of the deadline, said: ‘It’s crazy. (Omicron) is already spreading in France.
‘I mean I understand they need to protect the people but it’s here. What can you do? And it’s gonna hurt people. It hurts people, it hurts tourists, it hurts your local businesses.’
Speaking on the ban French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on BFM television that tourism and business travel to and from Britain will be strongly curtailed, and all those arriving from Britain will need to have a negative virus test less than 24 hours old.
They will also need to test again upon arrival and isolate ‘in a place they choose’ for at least 48 hours pending the result.
The new measures will take effect first thing Saturday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in a statement.
They will apply to vaccinated travellers as well those not vaccinated.
On Wednesday a family-of-four looking forward to spending the festive break together at a luxury ski resort hit out at President Macron for shutting France‘s borders to Britons.
Maxine Lane-Badenhop, 56, had been poised to go skiing in France with her husband Henning and their two daughters, Millie, 14, and Maddie, 15.
The family had booked a £3,800 holiday which they can only postpone, but their Eurotunnel trip was thrown into chaos by President Macron’s volte-face.
Maxine said she thought the ban was ridiculous, and told MailOnline: ‘We can’t go now. We are devastated, we were all looking forward to it as a family. We don’t know what we are going to do for Christmas now.
‘If France are shutting the borders to us, are they going to do the same to others in Europe?
‘I’m cynical, I don’t know, but is this a French and Britain thing about Brexit?
‘I think it just seems crazy with Omicron everywhere. I feel terrible for the resorts that are going to lose money too.’
Macron’s government singled out the UK for the ban on non-essential travel, claiming it is designed to slow the arrival of the super-mutant Omicron variant.
However the travel industry and experts point out that Omicron is already well established there – and even makes up a higher proportion of French cases according to the latest available data.
Boris Johnson slammed France for banning British tourists from the country starting on Saturday over fears of the Omicron variant.
France has given boosters to only 16.7 million people and hopes to give a third dose to 20 million by Christmas. That is behind the UK, which has already surpassed 24 million booster jabs.
Mr Johnson’s spokesman said the government did not think travel bans were a ‘effective or proportionate’ response to Omicron.
He said: ‘On our part given the given the transmissibility of Omicron and its seeding around the world, we don’t think that Red Lists are effective or proportionate at this current time.’
The move comes after weeks of political tensions between France and Britain over post-Brexit fishing rights and how to deal with migrants crossing the English Channel.
Have you had your French trip ruined? Email: emer.scully@mailonline.co.uk
