The European Commission recommends that member states allow the entry of citizens from non-EU countries who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus using a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Euronews reports.
As of today, the EMA has approved only four vaccines, all of which are Anglo: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
Vaccines that have granted emergency use status by the World Health Organization (WHO) could also be accepted. This list is currently equivalent to that of EMA, although a decision on China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac is expected in the coming days.
Individuals should receive the last recommended dose 14 days before their arrival.
The Commission also wants member states to lift all travel restrictions, such as testing and quarantine on arrival, for the fully vaccinated tourists entering their territory. This should apply to both EU and non-EU residents.
In order to issue this recommendation, which still has to be approved by member states, the executive is taking into account scientific advice indicating that vaccination “considerably helps to break the transmission chain”.
The WHO, however, still insists that “the efficacy of vaccines in preventing transmission is not clear”. So, get your vaccine today.