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European countries will be advised to open borders to countries with similar coronavirus risk profiles, under a plan to strengthen the crisis tourism industry that is being discussed in Brussels.
The European Commission is expected on Wednesday to recommend a three-phase approach to reopening borders that suggests EU countries with “similar general risk profiles” in the pandemic open to tourists from each other’s countries, according to a filtered version of the draft seen by the Euractiv website.
The EU executive has already voiced concerns about “tourism corridors”, whereby member states make bilateral agreements to open up to tourists, but now appears ready to accept these agreements in practice.
The EU includes some of the countries most affected by the pandemic, especially Spain and Italy, but others such as Greece and the Czech Republic that limited its impact.
Now officials are struggling to rescue Europe’s tourism industry, which accounts for 10% of the EU’s economic output, more in Italy, Spain, Croatia and Greece.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced last week that he intended to open the borders to visitors from safe countries, such as Germany and the Czech Republic, as part of efforts to protect the tourism industry from the Alpine state.
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia will reopen their borders with each other from May 15, creating a Baltic “travel bubble”.
“We set a good example by stating, very clearly, that only countries that successfully dealt with the situation can open up,” said Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis.
Senior EU officials acknowledge that they cannot prevent governments from reaching such bilateral or trilateral agreements, but argue against selective treatment. If Austria opens to Germany, it is expected to allow entry to all residents of Germany.
The commission’s acceptance of national border controls contrasts with the earlier concern. “Member states cannot open borders for citizens of one EU country, but not others. This is essential “, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson, he said to MEPs last week.
Separately, Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron were said to be working on a deal that could allow their citizens to travel freely between the UK and France over the summer.
The Sun newspaper reported that the British Prime Minister and the French President were working on a travel corridor, with the aim of allowing British tourists to visit France in the summer and vice versa.
Keeping the corridor open would depend on both countries maintaining a downward trend in coronavirus cases and a similar rate of contagion. The agreement would also apply to Ireland, which is part of a common travel area with the United Kingdom.
The British government has exempted travelers from France from having to go through a 14-day quarantine that will apply to most international visitors. But for now citizens of both countries are advised not to travel to vacation homes.
A spokesman for the European Commission welcomed “all the agreements that return us to normal”, but asked the British government to apply the same rules to other EU countries where the virus is under a level of control similar to that of France .
“We would expect the UK, in this case, for example, to apply the same type of exemptions to arrivals from other member states, which are in an epidemiological situation similar to that of France.”
National governments also determine quarantine restrictions on visitors, and the EU executive is taking a similar approach, calling for equal treatment for countries with a similar infection rate.
“We would also expect member states that follow certain quarantined measures to apply the same rules to other member states if they have similar epidemiological situations,” the spokesperson said.
In the high summer season, travelers across the EU will be able to consult an interactive map produced by the European Commission’s scientific service that will provide information on the latest border controls and travel conditions, according to the commission’s plans.
The EU executive will also urge member states to build preparedness plans in the event of a second wave of coronavirus.
The guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) on facial masks has remained constant during the coronavirus pandemic. It has stuck to the line that masks are for healthcare workers, not the public.
“Wearing a medical mask is one of the preventive measures that can limit the spread of certain viral respiratory diseases, including Covid-19. However, the use of a mask alone is not sufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures must also be taken, “said the WHO.
However, as some countries have eased closing conditions, they have made it mandatory to use face covers outside as a way of trying to inhibit the spread of the virus. This is in the belief that covering the face will prevent coughing and sneezing from expelling the virus from a great distance.
There is no strong scientific evidence, in the form of trials, that common masks prevent the virus from infecting people who use it. There is also concern that the public does not understand how to wear a mask correctly, and can become infected if they come in contact with the virus when they remove it and then touch their faces.
Underlying WHO concerns are the shortage of high-quality protective masks for front-line healthcare workers.
However, masks play a role when worn by people who are already infected. It is accepted that they can block transmission to other people. Since many people with Covid-19 show no symptoms in the first few days after becoming infected, the masks clearly have a potential role to play if everyone uses them.
Sarah Boseley Health editor
Travel bans, landed planes, and closed borders caused by the pandemic response are proving disastrous for the European tourism industry, which supports 27 million jobs, 12% of all union employment.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization predicted in March that the number of global visitors could drop by 20-30% by 2020, leading to losses of $ 450 billion (£ 362 billion), but it is expected that the impact in Europe is greater. About half of all tourists in the world come to Europe.
The commission is committed to prioritizing tourism in an EU recovery plan that is still being worked on.
Meanwhile, the commission has refused to endorse a call from more than a dozen EU member states calling for a relaxation of passenger rights rules that would allow moneyless airlines to reimburse people with coupons. instead of money for canceled flights.
The commission is expected to say that customers should retain the right to a cash refund, but will propose common rules to make coupons as attractive as possible.
