THE EU PLANS TO WELCOME FULLY VACCINATED TOURISTS THIS SUMMER

The European Union could open in June to fully vaccinated vacationers from countries with low Covid infection rates. This would come after nearly a year of lockdown.  

This proposed plan will be welcomed by countries desperate to revive struggling tourism industries. 

Proposals recommend changing the way the European Union decides which countries are on its travel safe list. Currently only travelers from seven nations, including Australia, New Zealand and Rwanda, are allowed to enter some EU countries on vacation without proof of vaccination or undergoing mandatory quarantine. People arriving from Britain, Russia and a number of other countries would meet the new criteria, according to data provided by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). U.S. citizens would not currently do so. 

The plans will be discussed by the ambassadors of European countries on May 5, and once signed off the list of safe countries will be reviewed every two weeks. Decisions about borders can only be made by individual countries, so each member state will decide whether to implement these proposals or not. 

The plan allows for an “emergency brake” should infection rates rise again.