[ad_1]
British tourists will not be able to access the European Union from January 1 under current Covid-19 security restrictions, and the EU commission indicated there will be no exemptions for the United Kingdom.
Only a handful of countries with low rates of coronavirus are exempt from the rules that prohibit non-essential visitors from outside the EU and the European Economic Area. (EEA), with the UK included only until the end of the Brexit transition period.
EU member states agreed in October to adopt a European council proposal to allow non-essential travel from a small group of countries with lower levels of Covid cases, including Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
A spokesman for the EU commission said last week that there were no plans to extend that to the UK. “This is a decision for the council to make,” he said.
Within the EEA, or Schengen associated states, Norway has also confirmed that it will ban visitors from the United Kingdom from January 1, according to the Financial Times.
The looming ranking of British tourists with those from other non-EU countries, such as Albania and Turkey, underscores the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit. EU member states can override the recommendations of the European Council in theory, if they so wish.
Leisure airlines, including EasyJet, had reported an increase in bookings for 2021 in recent weeks after news of a vaccine, but many of those trips will be in doubt.
A UK government spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on the decisions that other states might make on public health matters.
“We take a risk-based scientific approach to health measures at the border and, of course, all countries have a stake in allowing safe international travel as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Under European standards, people can still enter the bloc in certain cases, primarily for work, including humanitarian workers, care workers, diplomats, health professionals, military personnel, seasonal agricultural workers, and transport workers. Entry is also allowed for study, transit and urgent family reasons.
The Foreign Office currently advises against all non-essential travel to most of Europe, except for some holiday destinations such as certain Greek islands, and quarantine is required upon return for those who choose to travel.
With most insurance policies invalidated by FCO advice, and with the end of the Ehic (European Health Insurance Card) reciprocal medical coverage scheme on December 31, sources in the UK travel industry said the Outgoing bookings were currently very low for winter sports vacations in 2021.
