The EU is all set to reopen its borders for the tourists

May 20, 2021: -On Wednesday, European Union countries agreed to ease the travel restrictions on non-EU visitors after the summer tourist season, two EU sources said. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries approved a European Commission proposal to loosen the criteria to determine “safe” countries and let in fully vaccinated tourists elsewhere.

They are expected to set a new list this week or in the coming week. Based on data from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Britain and several other countries would meet the new criteria.

The U.S would not, although vaccinated Americans would be welcome in Europe. An EU source confirmed to NBC News that European ambassadors agreed that fully vaccinated tourists from the U.S. and other countries would no longer have to quarantine or be tested.

NBC News also reported that Americans might eventually be able to apply for a European “Digital Green Certificate.”

One EU diplomat said that the cases of the Indian variant in Britain would need to be considered, although individual EU countries are already setting their policies. Therefore there is no set a date for restrictions to be lifted.

On Monday, Portugal released a four-month travel ban on British tourists.

Under the present restrictions, people from only seven countries, including Australia, Israel, and Singapore, can enter the EU on holiday, regardless of the vaccination.  

The current main criterion is that there should be 25 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days. The trend should be stable or go down, and there should be enough tests, which show a minimum percentage of the negative tests. Variants of concern can be taken into account.

The Commission proposed increasing the case rate to 100. The EU ambassadors opted over 75. For inoculated people to gain access, they would need to have received an EU-approved vaccine, with those with a World Health Organization emergency listing will be considered.

More details are expected to be released Thursday. However, a newly expanded list of countries permitted for non-essential travel in Europe is expected to be decided in the next week or two.