All non-essential travel they must be "strongly discouraged until the epidemiological situation has improved considerably". This is supported by the European Commissioners for Justice, Didier Reynders, and for Internal Affairs, Ylva Johansson, who on Monday presented in Brussels the proposals for update the rules on travel within and outside the European Union, with the aim of improving coordination between member countries.
First of all, the EU Commission proposes adding a new color, dark red, to the risk map of the European Center for Disease Control "to reflect the high level of infections partially linked to new variants of coronavirus", announced Reynders, explaining that "the new category" of risk "applies to areas in where the 14-day infection notification rate is 500 or more.
In particular, for those coming from the "dark red" areas, the States should provide a test before departure and a quarantine upon arrival. “As testing capacity has increased, states should use pre-departure testing more even in orange, red or gray areas,” the commission writes.
Those who return to their country of residence "should instead be able to take the test as soon as they arrive". The indications do not apply to cross-border workers, who cross borders very often for work or family reasons, and to workers in the transport sector. The Commission has decided to present the new proposals "in light of the new variants of the virus and the high numbers of infections", and the need to avoid border closures and widespread travel bans.
