EU mulls letting in vaccinated travelers

The European Union’s executive on Monday proposed that travelers who are fully vaccinated with EU-approved jabs be able to enter the bloc, a statement said.

The European Commission urged the EU’s 27 member countries, which make their own decisions on health matters, to “lift restrictions on non-essential travel for vaccinated persons traveling to the EU.”

It also wants to see travelers from countries that have done a good job in keeping COVID-19 at bay to be able to enter, based on how many infections they register per 100,000 people averaged over a two-week period.

The proposal would see that infection threshold raised from the “very severe” bar of 25 cases per 100,000 decided nearly a year ago to 100 cases, an EU official involved with drafting the proposal said on condition of anonymity.

Proof that an individual was fully vaccinated at least two weeks before arriving in the EU, for full immunity to kick in, would not exclude member states also requiring COVID-19 tests either before or after arrival, or quarantine.

The proposal also says an “emergency brake” option should be kept in reserve to allow member states to quickly close travel from countries where a “variant of concern or interest is detected.”

The EU has authorized four vaccines: from BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.