Finland will open its borders as early as next week for fully vaccinated travelers from certain countries, the government said.
Beginning July 12, fully vaccinated travelers from European Union countries in the 26-member Schengen zone will be allowed to visit Finland for nonessential purposes without needing to quarantine or take a COVID-19 test.
Schengen is a European zone consisting of 26 countries that have abolished internal borders. The name "Schengen" comes from the small town of Schengen in Luxembourg, where France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands first signed the Schengen Agreement.
The other countries include Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Travelers who have received one dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine will still need to test negative for the coronavirus within 72 to 120 hours of their arrival in Finland, according to Travel+Leisure.
Finland is also allowing leisure travel from countries it deems low-risk - under 25 infections per 100,000 people. Based on the latest data from Reuters' COVID-19 tracker, the U.S. doe not meet that standard, with 34 infections per 100,000 people.
Also, starting next week, travelers won't need to show COVID certificates to board Finnair flights to Finland. The airline said it will take extra precautions to ensure travelers meet the country's entry requirements. Finnish officials created the Finentry tool to help people figure out whether they're allowed to visit Finland and to provide information about testing or other requirements that may apply.
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