The European Union has expressed concerns that a ban applied to unvaccinated travellers who wish to enter Malta could be discriminatory.
The Maltese authorities had previously announced that they would restrict non-vaccinated travellers from the UK due to an increased number of COVID-19 infections, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Besides the rule applied on UK travellers, Mata’s government stressed that all passengers wishing to enter the county must show a recognized COVID-19 vaccination document, while children aged 5-11 accompanying their parents must present a negative result of the PCR test. Furthermore, the government clarified that unaccompanied children would not be permitted to enter the country.
However, such a decision has been often criticized by some countries. In addition, the forum for the travel and tourism industry, World Travel and Tourism Council called on governments worldwide not to shut the doors to unvaccinated travellers.
In this regard, the European Commissioner spokesperson Christian Wigand highlighted that any Coronavirus travel restriction established must be “proportionate and non-discriminatory”.
“We have concerns that these measures could discriminate against those persons who are not fully vaccinated,” Wigand pointed out.
He also stressed that European Union countries could introduce measures to protect public health, but the Commission had asked Malta’s authorities to explain their measures imposed to stop the virus.
On July 1, the European Union Commission decided to launch the Digital COVID Certificate to make the travel process easier for persons who have taken the vaccine against the virus.
However, back then, the EU Commission stressed that the document would “not be a precondition to free movement, which is a fundamental right in the EU.”
In this regard, previously, German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised non-vaccinated travellers‘ hopes that soon they could be permitted to visit European countries. Such…