Aaron Rodgers has provided a powerful reminder that religious problems like clericalism and gnosticism are not confined to the religious world.
By Zac Davis
“Gnosticism reduced to bare narcissism,” the theologian David Bentley Hart says, “might be an apt definition of late modernity as a whole.” It certainly explains the case of Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and the reigning MVP of the National Football League, tested positive for Covid-19 and will not be allowed to play in a highly anticipated game this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Athletes getting placed on the Covid list is sadly a new pandemic reality, and this would only be a story for the sports pages were it not for one glaring wrinkle: Aaron Rodgers lied about his vaccination status and then ignored Covid safety protocols for unvaccinated players.
I’m a huge fan of France and was ecstatic to hear the reopening news. Naturally, I hopped on one of the first flights to Paris (CDG) that arrived just hours after the new regulations went into effect.
Here, I’ll give you a look at my experience entering France under the new coronavirus entry restrictions.
I’ll start with a quick overview of what Americans need to bring for entry to France and then discuss my travel experience, from checking in at New York-JFK to clearing customs at Paris (CDG).
Let’s get started!
Overview of France’s entry requirements (and what to bring)
Vaccinated Americans can now visit France for tourism. (Photo by Clint Henderson/The Points Guy)
Today, France implemented a “stoplight” system for tourists entering the country. There are three different colors: green, orange and red. Those coming from green countries can enter without restriction if vaccinated, while those in red countries are mostly barred from entry except for essential purposes.
(Image courtesy of the French Government)
Orange is the largest category and contains most of the countries outside of the Schengen area. This includes the U.S., U.K., Canada and Mexico, among others.
Entry requirements are very straightforward. According to the French Government (PDF link), vaccinated Americans (and vaccinated travelers from other orange countries) can enter France with the following:
Proof of your vaccination — the following vaccines are accepted:
Note that you must wait a set amount of time after your COVID-19 vaccine in order to enter France. The wait time depends on which vaccine you received:
Two weeks after the second injection for two injection vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca)
Four weeks after the injection for single injection vaccines (Johnson & Johnson)
Unvaccinated persons coming from orange countries are not allowed entry to France unless he or she has a “compelling reason” for their visit or is a French citizen, EU national or holds one of a handful of French visas.
Additionally, unvaccinated travelers are subject to tougher restrictions:
Proof of a negative COVID test, either:
PCR within 72 hours of boarding
Antigen within 48 hours of boarding
Antigen test on arrival
Mandatory seven-day self-quarantine
In other words: if you’re coming from an orange country, you can only visit for tourism if you’re fully vaccinated.
Many COVID-19 restrictions in France have been eased alongside the border reopening. That said, there are still some restrictions in place that you should be aware of if you plan to visit France immediately.
There is an 11 p.m. curfew, with a fine for breaking it
Indoor dining at cafés and restaurants around the country have resumed indoor dining at 50% capacity, with a maximum of six people allowed per table
Outdoor dining has resumed at full capacity
Museums are open, albeit with capacity restrictions
Many of these restrictions are set to be lifted at the end of the month. So if you’re a night owl, consider pushing your trip back a few weeks [ . . . ]
In this edition we discover a very special type of concert. With venues closed due to Covid-19, classical musicians are bringing their art to the courtyards of Parisians, as our team reports. We also look at several symbols of France, including the famous “baguette”. We see what makes it so special and why the French are campaigning for it to be included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. Meanwhile, the Château de Versailles, another symbol of French culture and history, is welcoming back the luxurious desk of Louis XVI after two years of restoration.
In the COVID-19 intensive care unit of the Antony Private Hospital south of Paris, no bed stays free for long and medics wonder when their workload will finally peak.
As one recovered elderly patient is being wheeled out of the ward, smiling weakly, boss Jean-Pierre Deyme is on the phone arranging the next arrival and calling out instructions to staff.
Louisa Pinto, a nurse of nearly 20 years’ experience, gestures to the vacated room where a cleaner is already at work, scrubbing down the mattress for the next arrival.
“The bed won’t even have time to cool down,” she says as the patient monitoring system beeps constantly in the background.
For now, everything is stable in the 20-odd beds around her where COVID-19 victims lie inanimate, in a silent battle with the virus.
Paris is going through a third wave of the pandemic which risks putting even more strain on saturated hospitals than the first wave in March and April last year.
“With what’s coming in April, it’s going to be very complicated,” says Pinto, a mother of three who hasn’t had a holiday since last summer and like other staff will be cancelling a planned break this month [ . . . ]
Pas De Merde 