The EU wants to change travel rules significantly: what should apply to the unvaccinated, those who have recovered and those who have been vaccinated
Created: 2022-01-28Updated: 2022-01-29 06:25
By: Momir Takac
The EU wants to significantly simplify travel within the Union from February 1st.
However, the Member States must play their part in this.
Zoff is emerging from the recovered status.
Brussels – In some European countries, the omicron wave is in full swing, others, such as Denmark, are relaxing the corona rules – despite the very high number of infections.
Other nations also want to gradually return to normality.
Travel within the EU: Valid digital Covid certificate should be the most important criterion
The European Union apparently also sees the end of the corona pandemic coming.
The EU wants to make travel within the Union much easier.
New, uniform rules are to apply from February 1st.
In future, the infection process in the country of departure should no longer be the most important criterion, but a valid EU Corona certificate.
An agreement of the EU states provides that it should no longer be decisive where a trip starts, but whether a valid test, vaccination or proof of recovery is available.
The communication from the EU states states: “Travellers who are in possession of a valid digital Covid certificate from the EU should not be subject to any additional restrictions on freedom of movement.”
In which cases is an EU Covid digital certificate valid?
These travel rules should apply in the EU
The
vaccination status
should be valid for 270 days.
If you don't want to lose your status, you have to get a booster vaccination.
Boosted users should not have to do an additional test within the EU.
Those
who have recovered are said to have their status for six months.
Anyone who has been proven to have the corona virus should no longer need a test when traveling within the EU.
Boosted should keep their status in case of infection.
Unvaccinated people
should be allowed to enter anywhere if they can prove a negative rapid antigen test (not older than 24 hours) or a negative PCR test (maximum 72 hours before departure) upon entry.
Anyone who does not have an EU Covid certificate should take a test upon arrival.
Children, cross-border commuters and commuters should be exempt from this rule.
New travel rules: EU anchors emergency brake if the corona situation worsens
The recommendation also includes an emergency brake.
Member states should continue to be able to set their own entry rules if, for example, a new worrying variant arises.
In that case, the Council of the European Union should review the situation with the Commission.
For the first time, the travel rules from February 1st are only a recommendation.
"It is important that member states follow up on the agreement and implement the agreed rules without delay," wrote EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides in a statement from the EU Commission.
Chaos about recovered status: EU demands six months, Lauterbach three
Should Germany implement the new rules, the quarantine rule would also be dropped.
It is currently the case that unvaccinated people must go into quarantine after entering the country from a high-risk area and can test free after five days at the earliest.
Furthermore, in Germany, those who have recovered from a coronavirus infection should be allowed to keep their status for six months.
The RKI recently decreed that the recovered status is only valid for three months.
However, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach wants to fight for the three-month period to also apply across the EU.
