The European Union’s (EU) executive has announced plans to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions next month to allow vaccinated people from additional countries, including the US, to gain entry by this summer.
Currently, vaccinated and unvaccinated people from just seven countries, including Australia and Singapore, can enter the EU, and must submit to tests or quarantine. This new proposal from the European Commission, which requires approval by the EU’s 27 member states, would open up to fully vaccinated foreign citizens and those from countries with a “good epidemiological situation.”
According to Bloomberg, member states would be obliged to accept proof for all shots approved in the EU, including those produced by Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE, AstraZeneca Plc, Moderna, Inc and Johnson & Johnson.
The proposal could be adopted as soon as the end of May, and EU member-state representatives will convene in Brussels later this week to discuss the specifics. Some members nations, including Greece, Spain and France, have already voiced their approval of opening up to guests who can present proof of a vaccination.
The current blanket ban for non-essential travel to the EU has been in place for more than a year.
“Time to revive tourism industry and for cross-border friendships to rekindle – safely,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.
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