It appears the EU has decided to abide by the WHO’s insistence that southern African countries shouldn’t be shunned via travel restrictions imposed by the West.
But now, instead of singling out a handful of countries in southern Africa, the EU and its member states are preparing to revive their vaccine passport for intra-EU travel, while continuing to require outsiders (even the vaccinated ones) to show proof that they recently tested negative via PCR test in the past 24 hours.
The EU’s executive commission proposed back in November that a nine-month validity limit for COVID passes from the completion of the primary vaccine doses. If applied, EU citizens hoping to travel freely within the bloc will need to have their booster shots.
Anonymous sources in Brussels told Bloomberg that a deal on the 9-month vaccine passport arrangement would likely be reached by the end of the day on Friday.
EU governments have repeatedly said a common approach is needed to avoid further disruption for the travel industry. But until now, member states have mostly gone their own way.
For example, France set a seven-month limit on the day the European Commission proposed it should be nine months.
The French rule is to apply from Jan. 15, whereas the Commission has proposed a Jan. 10 start.
A spokesman for the French embassy at the EU had no immediate comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, in Cyprus, authorities are planning to adopt passport rules that will be in place for at least 7 months, and in Greece, it would expire after six months for older people. EU officials say both countries are willing to change their approaches to the common EU limit, but we are still awaiting confirmation on that.
As we mentioned earlier, EU health experts are also set to discuss on Thursday the lifting of travel curbs on southern African countries as well as the introduction of the obligation for all incoming travelers from outside the bloc to possess a negative PCR test even if they’re vaccinated.
Now, will we see more protests erupt across Europe in retaliation?
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Apparently EU members didn’t pay heed to Nick Griffin’s “different excuses, different lies” speech.