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EU Relaxes Travel Rules For Tourists Amid Dropping Covid-19 Cases

The European Council is recommending that EU nations next month lift all testing and quarantine requirements for people who received vaccines authorised in the EU or approved by the World Health Organisation.

Associated Press

Updated on: 22 February 2022 3:42 pm

EU further lifts travel restrictions in wake of the falling Covid-19 cases

European Union member countries agreed Tuesday that they should further facilitate tourist travel into the 27-nation bloc for people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus or have recovered from COVID-19.

Individuals who received the last dose of their primary vaccination series at least 14 days and no more than 270 days before arrival, or who have received a booster dose, would be eligible along with those who recovered from COVID-19 within 180 days of travel.

The EU's executive commission welcomed the non-binding guidance, which also makes clear that no test or additional requirements should be applied to children under 6 who are travelling with an adult.

“The updates will further facilitate travel from outside the EU into the EU, and take into account the evolution of the pandemic, the increasing vaccination uptake worldwide and the administration of booster doses,” the European Commission said.

Travellers who received vaccines that were approved but WHO but are not authorised for use in the EU may still be asked to present a negative PCR test or to quarantine, the European Council said.

So far, the EU has authorised the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax.