BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Divisions throughout the European Union have deepened over travel rules to curb the unfold of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, after Italy and Greece adopted Portugal and Ireland in asserting extra curbs on travellers from different EU states.
The EU’s 27 member states have been debating for weeks how to coordinate travel coverage, with the purpose of containing the virus with out disproportionately disrupting travel throughout the border-free European Schengen space.
However, Italy mentioned on Tuesday that from Dec. 16 till the top of January it will require all travellers from EU nations to present a damaging check on arrival, even when they’re vaccinated. The unvaccinated will face a five-day quarantine.
If utilized strictly, the rules – which take impact on Thursday – would successfully restore frontier checks at Italy’s land borders, echoing measures adopted by EU nations at the beginning of the pandemic. These triggered queues on the borders and induced shortages of meals and medicines across the bloc.
“I’ve solely seen that closing borders is in any case not the answer,” Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel informed reporters as he arrived for a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.
The summit conclusions say any restrictions ought to be coordinated, based mostly on goal standards, and mustn’t “disproportionately hamper free motion between Member States”.
Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins mentioned freedom of travel contained in the EU should not finish.
CERTIFICATE
An EU diplomat was extra express: “Adding exams to vaccine certificates means undermining the worth of the COVID-19 certificates.”
The EU launched its COVID-19 certificates in July. It permits holders to travel freely throughout EU borders if they’ve been vaccinated towards the illness, have recovered or have had a current damaging check.
The European Commission proposed on November 25 a tweak to the COVID cross that might make proof of vaccination enough for unhindered motion throughout the EU for 9 months after completion of the first vaccination cycle.
The proposal has not but been authorised by member states.
Portugal launched a requirement for extra damaging exams on the very day the Commission made its proposal. Ireland mirrored that transfer a number of days later.
Greece introduced the identical measure on Wednesday, to take impact on Dec. 19. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis mentioned it will apply just for the Christmas interval and was meant to acquire time towards the unfold of Omicron as Greece sped up its marketing campaign to give a booster dose to all adults.
Preliminary knowledge present vaccines are much less efficient towards Omicron, however a booster will increase safety.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control mentioned on Wednesday Omicron was extra transmissible and certain to turn into the dominant variant in Europe throughout the first two months of 2022.
However, it didn’t suggest travel restrictions as a result of it mentioned the variant was already current in lots of EU states and was usually transmitted regionally.
Last week the Commission proposed that member states require a damaging check just for folks, together with the vaccinated, arriving from exterior the EU, officers mentioned. That measure, nonetheless below dialogue, faces opposition from some states.
If authorised, it might pave the best way for the lifting of an EU travel ban on southern African states that was imposed after the Omicron variant was detected there in November, officers mentioned, however many governments stay cautious.
The expiry of the COVID-19 cross after 9 months is much less controversial however a number of states have requested to wait till extra is thought about Omicron.
A gathering of EU diplomats is scheduled for Dec. 21 to focus on the matter.
(Reporting by Philip BlenkinsopEditing by Gareth Jones)
