When the EU removed the U.S. from its list of “Safe” countries for non-essential travel, a floodgate of new and different entry regulations into EU member countries began, and IATA wants the chaos to stop.
As Open Jaw reported, following the U.S. exceeding the EU’s threshold of new COVID cases, Brussels issued a ban on non-essential travel from that country, but left it up to each member country to decide if and what new restrictions to apply to American (and other, designated “high-risk”) arrivals.
A flurry of new requirements sprang up, and continue to be announced by individual EU countries, sending booked travellers and their travel advisors scrambling. Here’s just a sampling of the changes:
The day after the EU move, Italy added new restrictions on both vaccinated and unvaccinated American travellers.
Then came word that Bulgaria would move the U.S. to its ‘red zone’ and prohibit travel for all Americans, regardless of vaccination status.
Meanwhile, Visit Portugal announced it would remain open to U.S. travellers who present a negative test pre-boarding and upon arrival.
On the weekend, more changes. Beginning Saturday 04SEP, the Netherlands requires all American (and ‘high-risk’) arrivals to quarantine for ten days, regardless of vaccination status. They can shorten their quarantine to ‘just’ five days if a test on Day 5 comes back negative. And beginning 06SEP, “fully vaccinated, quarantine-bound arrivals will also have to provide evidence of a negative test to travel to the Netherlands, even if they are fully vaccinated.”
On the other hand, Spain’s doors remain open - to fully vaccinated American arrivals and their unvaccinated children. Starting 06SEP, Americans need to show proof of vaccination and fill out a health questionnaire to enter.
The new, changing restrictions have created uncertainty for pax, operators and cruise lines with booked Americans in Europe. IATA calls it a “mess.”
“It’s one Europe Union. People reasonably expect a united approach to managing travel.”
While the EU can’t change infection rates in other countries, IATA says it can at least create a harmonized approach to arrivals.
The organization says in a news release, “the reopening of borders is confusing travelers and businesses and not delivering the expected benefits in terms of easier travel and economic recovery.”
“It’s essential that European states come together on COVID-19 travel procedures. The good work done by the Commission and the states to develop (Digital COVID Certificates) is being wasted by a mess of unharmonized regulations. How can passengers travel with confidence when the rules are so different in each country within the European Union?” questioned Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe.
“It’s one Europe Union. People reasonably expect a united approach to managing travel.”
IATA is urging EU member countries to
- Verify Digital COVID Certificates (DCC) digitally before passengers arrive at the airport;
- Develop a state portal to facilitate DCC verification directly by national authorities;
- Integrate digital Passenger Locator Forms into a state portal for DCC verification, which is not currently the case in 80% of European countries.
In addition, IATA wants EU states to present a united front on health requirements including:
- Universal acceptance of rapid testing in place of expensive and unnecessary PCR tests
- Universal exemption of minors from testing and vaccination requirements, and
- The universal opening of borders to vaccinated passengers.
“The experience over the European summer shows that a standard digital certificate is not enough: the travel processes around COVID-19 must also be harmonized and smoothed out. We urge European states to sort out the current mess and give hard-pressed passengers greater certainty over their travel plans,” said Schvartzman.
