The European health certificate has entered into force: what is needed to facilitate transfers between the 27 countries

The health certificate adopted by the countries of the European Union (EU) formally entered into force on Thursday in the hope of reviving travel and reviving tourism, despite threats of a “brake” due to the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The document – a QR code can be worn on a phone or printed – certifies that the carrier has been fully immunized with one of the vaccines approved in the EU, tested negative in a recent test, or already has immunity to having overcome the infection.

The intention is that the certificate allow travel through the 27 EU countries and four countries that have joined the initiative (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).

All EU countries are already interconnected to the system, with the exception of Ireland, which suffered a cyberattack on its healthcare network but hopes to join the project on July 19.

The the countries of the bloc will be obliged to accept on their soil travelers who are already fully immunized with EU-approved vaccines: Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca (two doses) and Johnson & Johnson (one dose).

Member States They may also – although they do not have to – admit people who are immunized with vaccines authorized in certain EU countries. (like russian Sputnik V, used in Hungary), or with vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (like china Sinopharm).

Although certificate holders are not supposed to undergo a quarantine or additional examination, it is still possible for a Member State to introduce restrictions if the situation in the traveller’s country or region of origin deteriorates.

However, the generalization of the Delta variant, originating in India and now predominant in the United Kingdom, could provoke a new “emergency brake” in the attempt to revive tourism.

The Delta variant has already led Germany to include Portugal, where this variant has become predominant, in its list of countries at risk, and practically bans all arrivals from this country.

In turn, Spain and Portugal abruptly announced additional restrictions and requirements for travelers from the UK due to the Delta variant.

Concerns

The dramatic rise in Delta variant infections in the UK, which gives the country an infection rate more than four times that of the EU, is causing deep concern on the continent.

EU countries had adopted a recommendation to allow entry only to fully vaccinated travelers from outside the bloc, or people with urgent reasons to travel.

However, Portugal, Spain and Greece initially opted for a more flexible attitude in the hope of reviving their tourism sectors.

Meanwhile, this trend is now under great pressure due to the realization that EU is six weeks behind UK in terms of future Delta variant infections.

At a European summit held a week ago in Brussels, German head of government Angela Merkel sharply criticized Portugal and Spain for openly accepting British tourists, given the need to to breathe new life into their sectors which depend on tourism.

This Thursday, when the certificate comes into force, There were endless lines at Brussels airport, as passengers trying to register their departures were diverted to control tents, where there were huge crowds..

“Everything is blocked,” said an employee of the airline company Brussels Airlines. When a family with children said they were going to miss their flight, the employee replied, “It’s covid-19, it’s the procedure. If they miss their flight, we’ll put them on another ”.

According to a count of AFP Based on official data, 50.4% of the EU population has received at least one vaccine against Covid-19, and one in three people have been fully immunized.

(With information from AFP)

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