As the holiday season approaches and the deployment of mass vaccinations, many European countries are gradually abandoning the previously introduced coronavirus restrictions — both for their own citizens and for tourists.
Ukraine is preparing covid passports for the EU
As the authorities of the European Union announced this week, more than 150 million people have already been vaccinated in the EU. Now at least every fourth European has received the first dose of one of the available vaccines, by July the number of vaccinated people is planned to increase to two thirds.
Hungary is doing the best with vaccination, where more than half of the population have already received the first vaccination, and more than 25 percent of the population have received both. Malta and Finland also entered the top three in terms of the share of the population that took part in vaccination.
Germany is the leader in the number of vaccinations: more than 30 out of 83 million people have received at least one dose of the drug there, and up to one million people are vaccinated daily.
In Italy, where the authorities are striving for a level of half a million vaccinated per day, they hope to fully vaccinate more than half of the population in a month.
In Italian regions that were not so badly affected by the pandemic, restaurants and bars were allowed to open outdoor terraces — but they only work until 22:00 p.m. In the less affected areas, even museums and cinemas have reopened.
Other countries are cautiously easing the quarantine. Almost all restrictions in France are planned to be lifted by July. In Poland, where the level of morbidity has fallen to a minimum since the beginning of February this year, shopping centers and museums are opening this week, then hotels are opening at half capacity, and at the next stage, the verandas of cafes and restaurants.
Street cafe terraces reopened on May 3 in Greece. The staff of the public health center must take the test twice a week and wear a mask. A maximum of six people can sit at one table, and there must be sufficient distance between the tables.
In the Netherlands, outdoor terraces also worked, but only from 12:00 to 18:00. The curfew has been lifted, and you can go to stores again without an appointment.
The idea of opening the closed border of the EU for citizens of third countries was presented by the European Commission on May 3. There it was proposed to allow entry to people who received the last recommended dose of any of the four vaccines approved in the EU - AstraZeneca, BioNTech/Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna - at least 14 days before arrival.
The European Commission also proposes to weaken the European Union's methodology for calculating which countries are considered "safe" — from the current rate of 25 cases of coronavirus infection per 100 population over the past 14 days to 100 cases.
On May 4, the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi, who chaired the summit of the Big Twenty, reported that the G20 countries supported the idea of introducing a covid-passport, and the countries of the European Union will introduce this certificate already in June 2021.
"The European green pass will be ready from the second half of June. Meanwhile, the Italian government has introduced a national green pass, which will come into force in the second half of May," Draghi said during the videoconference of the G20 tourism ministers, at which he was the chairman.
Also, in May, test use of covid-passports will begin in six more countries besides Italy: Greece, Spain, Malta, Bulgaria, Estonia and Luxembourg.
Citizens of third countries will also be able to get a Covid-passport. Tourists will be able to move from one country to another without quarantine if they can prove that they have been cured of COVID-19, vaccinated or have negative test results for coronavirus.
For holders of covid-passports, the requirements for self-isolation or testing for coronavirus are canceled. The passport is valid for no more than 12 months. It will not have the function of a travel document.
In mid-April, it became known that Ukraine agreed with the European Commission on cooperation on the compatibility of Ukrainian and European covid-certificates.
On May 5, the government announced that they are preparing to introduce vaccination passports in Ukraine confirming vaccination against the coronavirus
"Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov and Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov reported that in Ukraine there is a process of preparation for the introduction of vaccination and immunization passports in accordance with European standards," it says, according to the website of the Office of the President.
Today, Ukraine is not included in the list of third countries whose citizens are allowed to enter the European Union. Now the updated list of countries also includes Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Israel.
China is also on the list, but in the event that the Chinese authorities, based on the principles of reciprocity, will also cancel restrictions for citizens of EU member states. It is envisaged that travel restrictions will be lifted for special administrative regions of China, such as Hong Kong and Macau, if these regions allow entry from the EU.
Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican are considered EU residents for visiting the EU. Also, this recommendation concerns the associated countries from Schengen - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The list of "green" countries will continue to be revised every two weeks.
