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In light of the omicron variant, an increasing number of countries are tightening entry regulations. France restricts entry from Great Britain, Israel’s borders remain closed to tourists. Meanwhile, the EU states were only able to reach a minimal compromise at their summit in Brussels – new requirements for travelers are not ruled out.
Britain is struggling with two CoV variants at the moment: The number of delta cases remains high, that of omicron cases is growing rapidly. On Thursday, almost 90,000 new infections were reported within 24 hours, a new daily high since the beginning of the pandemic. In France, the strong spread of the Omicron variant in the United Kingdom is causing particular concern.
The entry from as well as the exit to Great Britain is now only possible from Saturday, 0.00 o’clock, as France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday. Tourist or professional reasons are not among them. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people must register before traveling from the U.K. to France, take a PCR or rapid test and go into quarantine at a location of their choice after arriving in France. They can leave this after 48 hours following a negative test.
2-G Plus on entry to Italy
France is not the first EU country to tighten its entry rules because of Omikron. In Italy, the 2-G Plus rule has been in effect since Wednesday for people entering the country. In addition to proof of being vaccinated or recovered, a current negative CoV test is required. In Greece and Ireland, vaccinated and recovered persons will also have to present a negative test when crossing the border. Finland will also introduce mandatory testing, but for the time being only for travelers from countries outside the EU and the Schengen area.
Rome’s solo effort had caused disgruntlement in Brussels. “Individual decisions by states undermine people’s confidence that conditions are the same everywhere in the EU,” criticized EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova. “When Member States introduce additional conditions or tighten rules, as in the case of Italy, this decision must be justified on the basis of the actual situation,” Jourova continued.
Italy’s Health Minister Roberto Speranza dismissed the criticism Thursday, saying, “In these hours, our priority can only be to continue our efforts to make our country safe.” Prime Minister Mario Draghi said while the Omicron variant is currently responsible for only 0.2 percent in Italy, the mutant is much more rampant in other countries. “The rigor in following the rules is important in the face of the new pandemic wave,” Draghi said.
Health experts recently called for a swift and strong response to Omikron. The variant, first discovered in South Africa, is spreading at high speed in Europe. According to the EU health authority ECDC, it is likely to dominate the infection scene as early as January or February. In Austria, the number of new infections due to Omicron could rise to 16,000 per day as early as the beginning of January, the CoV forecasting consortium warned.
Minimal compromise at EU summit
Meanwhile, the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday struggled to find a common approach. Possible new restrictions should not undermine the functioning of the single market or “disproportionately” impede freedom of movement within and into the EU, it said. The summit did not rule out requirements such as mandatory testing even for vaccinated travelers.
“Further concerted efforts” are needed to respond based on scientific data, the joint conclusions on the coronavirus said. In addition, it was important to proceed in a coordinated manner with regard to the validity of EU CoV certificates, it said.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel had previously said travel restrictions were not the solution. “We should also take good care of people’s mental health,” Bettel said. Moreover, additional PCR tests should not replace vaccination. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) found Italy’s decision “permissible.” It was important for each state to decide that for itself, he stressed.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said he saw the solution in boosters, but also stressed, “I understand that some countries are trying to combine vaccination with testing.” Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda, when asked about possible restrictions, stressed the need for clear guidelines. Greece’s head of government Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he sees the solution mainly in booster vaccinations. New measures should only apply to the Christmas season to allow enough time for booster vaccinations.
Tourism: Israel extends entry ban
Countries outside the EU are also trying to seal themselves off from Omicron as best they can. Israel extends the entry ban for tourists by another seven days. This means that the borders will remain closed to foreigners until midnight on December 29. Further, this means that all residents of Israel returning from any country – including vaccinated Israelis – must also be quarantined for at least three days upon entry.
Israel also declared Denmark and the United Kingdom “red countries” to which entry is banned for Israelis as of Friday. These are the first European countries currently on the list, after Israel already designated almost all of Africa as “red countries.”
Ghana seals itself off
The West African nation of Ghana is also drastically restricting all entry with immediate effect. Specifically, people will only be able to enter the country by air or sea; overland entries will not be possible for an indefinite period. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo justified the measure by citing the threat of a fourth wave of infection.
“We are monitoring the level of threat from the disease and the ongoing vaccination in our neighboring countries – and as soon as we have confidence that it is safe, we will reopen the borders,” the president said. In Africa, more than 80 percent of travel is estimated to occur by land. Ghana has registered nearly 132,000 positive coronavirus cases since the pandemic broke out, of which 1,255 were fatal.
- source: orf.at/picture: Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay
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