Travellers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from the disease should be completely exempted from any restrictions — such as testing and quarantine — when moving around the European Union, Brussels has said.
The recommendation comes as the bloc prepares to roll out its first EU-wide travel pass to facilitate cross-border movement during the pandemic.
The law for the travel pass foresees EU countries refraining from imposing travel restrictions on those holding one.
However, it opens the door for additional measures in case the health situation deteriorates or new variants are detected. It also leaves unanswered the question of what happens to those who have not obtained the pass but nevertheless intend to travel.
Mindful of potential fragmentation and uncertainty for travellers, the European Commission has put forward a recommendation for national governments.
If adopted by EU countries, the new rules will see fully vaccinated people — having received the second dose in the last 14 days — exempted from testing and quarantine requirements when travelling around the European Union. The same would apply to those who have recovered from the disease in the last 180 days.
It will be up to individual countries to decide if the rule applies to those who have been partially vaccinated. The vaccination and recovery certificates should be in line with the provisions of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, the official name for the travel pass.
Additionally, travellers with a valid COVID-19 test should not be subject to quarantine. The European Commission proposes two standardised validity periods: 72 hours for PCR tests and 48 hours for rapid antigen tests. Not every member state accepts antigen tests.
Children travelling with their parents should be exempted from quarantine when the parents are also relieved from the procedure, the European Commission added. Children under the age of six should not have to undergo testing.