EU Proposes Plans for Return of Tourists

The European Union has unveiled its plans for the return of foreign visitors.

Travelers will be able to visit the EU two weeks after they have received the last dose of a European Union-approved vaccine.

Discussions on the exact plans for the reopening of borders to non-essential travelers will begin on Tuesday. According to the BBC, proposals include an "emergency brake" that allows member states to close borders quickly in the case of new variants or rising COVID cases.

"Time to revive EU tourism industry and for cross-border friendships to rekindle - safely," said Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission President in a tweet.

Time to revive tourism industry & for cross-border friendships to rekindle - safely.

We propose to welcome again vaccinated visitors & those from countries with a good health situation.

But if variants emerge we have to act fast: we propose an EU emergency brake mechanism.

- Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 3, 2021

There are already plans for digital certificates that would show a person's vaccination status, COVID-19 test results or if they have recently recovered from the virus.

The EU also noted that children traveling with their vaccinated parents would be able to enter the EU with a negative COVID-19 test, however, there may be further testing upon entry.

EU-approved vaccines include Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson.

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