The World Tourism and Travelling Council (WTTC) has welcomed the EU’s decision to allow American travellers to visit European countries, claiming these are “encouraging news”, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“Today’s announcement from the EU advising member states to begin welcoming back US travel is the latest piece of encouraging news from global leaders as we all work towards revitalising the global Travel & Tourism sector,” Senior Vice President of WTTC, Virginia Messina, said.
She also noted that this step is a significant step to boost the economy and job market of the EU member states and the United States, which is needed very much now after the pandemic outbreak, which has affected millions of people’s lives.
According to the latest data issued by the Central for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 42 per cent fully vaccinated US population, combined with the EU’s continued vaccine campaign and the launch of the EU COVID-19 Vaccination Passport, is convenient to begin lifting restrictions safely and sustainably.
Previously WTTC praised the COVID-19 Passport introduction by the European Member states, noting that this act would impact the lives of millions of people who depend on the tourism sector.
Germany, Poland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece and Croatia are the first countries to implement the document, a month ahead of the deadline. Countries such as Ireland, Norway, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Romania and Slovakia are ready to connect to the EUDCC gateway.
In the EU COVID-19 Vaccination Passport testing phase are currently only Finland, Hungary and Malta.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Passport allows people who have been vaccinated for the COVID-19, recovered from the virus, or tested negative for Coronavirus to travel without undergoing quarantine upon arrival to their EU destination. The document will include a unique QR code for verification and will be issued digitally and printed.
A standard COVID-19 passport includes information about the traveller, for example, the first and last name, birthdate, issuing state, QR code, and detailed information on the traveller’s vaccination status (vaccine product and manufacturer, number of doses, and date of vaccination).
The passport will show the type of test taken, testing date, place and time, and result for tested travellers. In contrast, for travellers who recovered from the virus, the document will present the positive test result date, certificate’s issuer, date of issuance and document’s validity date.
Some of the countries that permit American citizens to enter the country without undergoing quarantine are Spain, Ireland, Denmark, Cyprus and Greece. This week, France decided to permit entry for US tourists due to a robust rollout of vaccines in both countries. Germany, as well, will allow third countries travellers who have received European Medicine Agency authorised vaccines to enter the country free of quarantine.
Originally Appeared On: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/wttc-calls-encouraging-news-eus-decision-to-allow-american-tourists-enter-the-block/