Covid certificate: European Union countries will reopen their borders to vaccinated tourists

BRUSSELS.- The borders of the EU will be reopened to tourists vaccinated against the coronavirus, on the basis of an agreement reached today by the 27 member countries. This opening will include, according to the parameters established by the block, a primary clause: that people have been inoculated with vaccines that have the approval of the European Medicines Agency (EMA): Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

However, its application is not compulsory and Member States They may also allow entry of foreign tourists immunized with other sera approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

the terms for vaccinated travelers to enter the EU, they have received the complete immunization schedule -both doses, in most medicines- at least fourteen days before your trip, According to the consensus of the member states, at a meeting at ambassadorial level in Brussels.

The deal has yet to be formalized at ministerial level, which is likely to be done tomorrow at a meeting of trade officials, and will enter into force upon publication in the EU’s Official Journal.

The representatives of the capitals wanted to ensure that travelers from third countries do not benefit from preferential treatment compared to the situation of Europeans, which is why the recommendation specifies a Member State can only open its border if it already takes into account vaccines to lift quarantines, or the PCR requirement on its own inhabitants, until the entry into force of the European Covid certificate.

This document, the “Digital green certificate”, it will be a kind of health passport that will have support in a app with a QR code or it can be obtained in printed format. As indicated THE NATION, the pass must certify the vaccination against Covid, with the number of doses received; the medical release after having had the disease during the previous six months, with verification of antibodies by a test; or the data of a negative hyssop.

Border management falling under the exclusive competence of national governments, which is agreed at European level is a commitment to apply the same criteria in the 27 States, This does not prevent each country from deciding on stricter criteria.

Another update agreed by capitals, regarding the criteria for entry into the EU, is the review of incidence rate. Until now, Member States have limited travel authorizations to countries with an incidence of no more than 25 coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a threshold that has now been relaxed to 75 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

EU countries will also strengthen the appeal “emergency break” this would allow them to close the reopened border or apply other restrictions to any country restricting movement, in the event of the outbreak of contagions or the detection of a high incidence of new variants in those countries.

In addition to the commitment made by member countries to reopen tourism to vaccinated foreigners, the EU already has a list of nations whose epidemiological situation is equal to or better than that of Europe, to which they open their borders considering that they do not present any risk. The list is limited to routes with departure or arrival at Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and China, although in the latter case, it is subject to the condition of reciprocity, which Beijing does not comply with at the moment.

The last revision was made on May 5 to include Israel in this list, and based on the new criteria agreed, it will likely be updated by the end of this week.

DPA and AFP agencies

THE NATION