Last week, Malta caused a sensation across Europe with the announced border closings for those not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Now the regulation should not be implemented. Surprisingly, the Maltese government rowed back from the project.
Instead, travelers who want to travel to the popular holiday country without a vaccination should be quarantined for a certain period of time, the government said. According to information from FOCUS Online, the “mandatory” quarantine should last 14 days. After the eleventh day, travelers can leave the quarantine early with another negative PCR test. Maltese authorities did not want to confirm the information on Tuesday evening.
As reported by the Maltese media, the European Commission had expressed massive criticism of the plans. Specifically, the government protested in Rome after Malta wanted to ban students from Italy who tested negative from leaving the country. Malta quarantined the group. The tough course of Malta evidently caused massive criticism in the European Commission.
The border closure announced on Friday should originally have come into effect on Wednesday night. Starting at midnight, travelers now need either:
- your vaccination certificate (all vaccinations with the vaccines of the manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Biontech, Astrazeneca and Moderna are accepted, also cross vaccinations) or
- a confirmation of recovery that can prove a COVID-19 infection. The confirmation is valid for six months from the time the infection is discovered.
Those who have not been vaccinated or recovered must present a PCR test that is not more than 72 hours old before departure. This also applies to children from the age of 12. All tourists must also complete the digital “Passenger Locator Form” (PLF) before departure via this page to complete.
FOCUS Online says: The structure of the site is complicated, travelers should click on “Register” at the top left and first register on the platform with their data.
Entry documents are becoming more and more important – what are the benefits of the digital vaccination certificate?
The digital EU health certificate was launched across Europe on July 1st. Vaccinated, convalescent and tested people should store their evidence on their smartphone. In Germany, German citizens must use the CovPass app or the Corona warning app for this.
To do this, those affected scan the code from the vaccination certificate. At the border crossings and at the airport, the QR code from the app is then checked and compared with the data (name and date of birth) from the identity card or passport.
In fact, many holiday countries are already implementing this concept. Especially those who are fully vaccinated often come through check-in, security and border controls without long waiting times. In many countries, those who have recovered and those who have been tested lose out; they have to queue up separately – at the airport or at the border crossings.
In addition to the digital certificate, the documents are often checked by employees in paper form.
It appears: One month after its introduction, the digital EU certificate is particularly beneficial for vaccinated people.
And because the contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading in Europe and vaccinations among young people are at a low level, more and more holiday countries are tightening the entry rules.
Tested and recovered draw the short straw.
What do those who have recovered and who have been tested have to pay attention to?
Malta had surprisingly announced that it would only allow vaccinated people into the country. As of July 14th, the holiday country strictly refused to provide evidence of recovery, meaning that Malta would have been the first EU country to open its tourism to vaccinated people only. However, the scheme was stopped shortly before it came into effect. Non-vaccinated people now have to go into quarantine upon entry.
However, the planned border closure had caused criticism from the EU Commission, which feared that the EU-wide travel certificate would be impaired. This provides for equal treatment of those who have been completely vaccinated with those who have recovered and those who have tested negative.
However, other EU countries are also tightening the rules.
In Slovakia, too, there have been stricter rules since July 9th: anyone who has not been vaccinated or has not recovered needs a negative PCR test from now on and must be in quarantine.
Norway, on the other hand, divides countries into green and orange / red zones. Germany is a “green zone”, so German citizens can enter and leave the country without any problems. But Norway is looking closely at the incidence development. EU countries such as Andorra, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain were defined as “risk areas. Anyone who comes from these countries unvaccinated must present a PCR test and adhere to a ten-day quarantine.
The situation is dynamic and many EU countries are already talking about mandatory vaccination. This is the case in France, Greece and Cyprus, for example. Anyone who wants to travel unvaccinated in summer could face closed borders.
Despite the digital vaccination certificate, three documents remain important!
The digital EU certificate should count as the most important entry document within the EU next to the identity card. But regardless of whether you have been vaccinated, recovered or tested: More and more member states have also introduced so-called “entry forms”. Holidaymakers must fill out these in a mandatory and timely manner prior to departure.
In Germany, too, those returning to travel have to find out Register “Einreisenanmeldung.de”if they have stayed in risk areas.
So vacationers need a passport or identity card in addition
- the digital EU certificate (test document, vaccination certificate or proof of recovery) and
- the completed entry document.
Holidaymakers should have both documents with them in digital form and also in paper form. So be sure to take your yellow vaccination card with you on vacation!
FOCUS Online advises: Be sure to scan your identity card, your supporting documents and all travel documents and send the scanned documents to your e-mail address. If your smartphone or your papers are lost, you can access the documents via your e-mail inbox. Particularly important! Secure your emails with a strong password. Apps can help you which you can find here.
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