Port villages, sandy beaches and dizzying cliffs. It is in this Cornish peninsula that the heads of state of the G7 countries (United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan) and guests are due to meet from June 11 to 13. from the summit (Australia, India, South Korea, European Union).
If the chosen setting seems idyllic, moreover under a mild sky, according to the weather forecast, the summit itself promises to be nightmarish for the journalists present on the spot. First obstacle: finding accommodation in a region with limited hotel capacities. Then, for lack of shuttles, find a way to reach the press center located in the small town of Falmouth, about forty kilometers from the hotel where the negotiations will take place in Carbis Bay.
Once these contingencies have been resolved, it is then necessary to submit to a surreal health protocol, detailed in a “booklet” sent to each accredited journalist. A procedure that not even those already vaccinated can hope to escape. The guide is clear, ” the vaccination status of people in no way changes the need to comply with the regulations and solidarity measures in force in the United Kingdom ”, so that the country is concerned about an upsurge in the number of cases of the Indian variant.
A battery of tests
The event organizers therefore formulate instructions over ten pages. A minimum of two meters of distance between each person, wearing a compulsory mask, limiting the number of people in the spaces, as is customary in countries affected by the pandemic.
But above all, each participant, duly provided on arrival with a PCR test, will have to undergo a real battery of additional tests: one per day, each morning, to be carried out themselves thirty minutes before leaving their accommodation. Which can only be left“ once the negative result has been entered ”. A daily diet that has something to discourage more than one.
As for the results, they must be declared on a specific Internet page, thanks to a unique identification number assigned to each. This is not enough to show a white paw since it is finally necessary to come with a confirmation SMS from the NHS (National Health System, the public health system of the United Kingdom) to, finally, access the G7 press center. Finally, the guidelines recommend “Strongly” not to participate in other activities, even ” recreational “, outside of the events planned as part of the summit.