Passengers arrive at Adolfo Su Surez Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain. Spain is open to vaccinated visitors worldwide as well as to unvaccinated Europeans with a negative antigen test. Photo: Getty Images
Even if Australians were allowed to travel there, what would travel be like in Europe or the USA? In a word, complicated.
Navigating through the new vaccination status and testing requirements could turn international travel into a nightmare for a long time.
While EU citizens can receive a digital EU COVID certificate that allows them to move freely in all EU member states, this option is not available, at least in principle, for Australians, whether vaccinated or not. Although Australia is known for its low incidence of COVID-19 and is on the “green” list in most countries, the requirements for Australian travelers are more demanding and can vary from country to country.
For example, despite Australia’s inclusion in Italy’s “List D” – countries with a low epidemiological risk – anyone entering Italy from Australia must undergo self-isolation and health surveillance for 10 days with a swab test at the end of this period. It would be easier for you to enter Italy if you come from another EU country or a country in the Schengen area. All that is required is a negative PCR or antigen swab test done 48 hours before arrival in Italy.
Anyone who has been in Australia in the past 14 days can enter the UK without quarantine, provided they can demonstrate a COVID-19 test within three days of leaving for the UK. If you are traveling via Qatar or the United Arab Emirates you are considered to be arriving from a “red” zone and this will prevent you from entering the UK, even if it is only a transit stop of a few hours. The only exceptions are British or Irish nationals or those with UK residency rights. However, as infections from the Delta variant are increasing in Great Britain, it can become more difficult to travel to EU countries from there.
Australian residents who are fully vaccinated can enter France without any health measures. People who have not been vaccinated must present a negative test less than 72 hours before departure. A transit stop at an airport in the Gulf State would not affect this status, provided the traveler remains within the airport. However, travelers coming to France from an ‘orange’ list country such as the United Kingdom can only enter France if they are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated travelers must have an “urgent reason to travel” and must self-isolate for seven days.
Which vaccines will countries accept?
AstraZeneca and Pfizer are accepted by European countries that require proof of vaccination, provided the second vaccination has been given at least two weeks prior to arrival. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has also approved the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. However, Greece and Cyprus have come under fire from other EU members for hosting tourists who have received Russia’s Sputnik and China’s Sinopharm vaccines, none of which have been approved by the EMA.
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Australians who had both vaccinations can log in through the MyGov website, navigate to the Medicare page and download a digital COVID-19 certificate showing which vaccines were given on which days. A printed copy is required.
However, if you plan to travel to the US, your options may be limited by the AstraZeneca vaccine. The US Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve the vaccine, which means some places in the US do not recognize it. This recently emerged as a problem for Canadians (where AstraZenaca is prevalent) who Return to Broadway in New York to see Bruce Springsteen. To begin with, only those who have received an FDA cleared vaccine are allowed to join the audience, so fans across the border cannot participate. The theater later changed this requirement, allegedly at Springsteen’s own request.
Different US states now have different rules. Florida has banned companies from forcing people to show proof of vaccination. But the Royal Caribbean cruise line does that Cruises from Florida resumed on Saturday, got around this by asking passengers to voluntarily submit their vaccination cards. If you do not provide proof of vaccination, your movements on the ship will be restricted. Ninety-nine percent of the passengers have provided their proof.
Tests required for country-to-country travel
Imagine you have spent two weeks in Italy and now you want to enjoy the sun on the Greek islands. All travelers arriving in Greece must have either a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to arrival or a negative antigen test within 48 hours prior to arrival. Without this proof, you are not allowed to board a flight to Greece.
The same applies if you want to travel from Italy to Austria, but when entering France you are not subject to any health measures provided you are fully vaccinated.
Expect last minute changes
On June 8, Portugal was moved from the UK’s Green List to yellow. Anyone entering the UK from Portugal after this date will be required to self-quarantine for 10 days after arriving in the UK. The change caught many Brits enjoying the Portugal sun on the go and unable to book a return flight in time.
On June 21, fearing the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in the UK, the Italian government announced that anyone coming from the UK would be quarantined for five days.
What’s the future like?
Northern summer 2020 was a stinker, with no vaccines available, lax restrictions on social gatherings in most places, no contact tracing and hardly any testing. Most of these glitches were fixed for the summer of 2021.
There will be problems, outbreaks, lockdowns and restrictions imposed in the short term, but likely not the wave of infections that hit Europe in late 2020. We will find out what works and what needs to be fixed. This includes determining whether one vaccine is more effective than another. Building on this experience, the northern summer of 2022, when Australians may finally be able to travel to some parts of the world, should experience fewer infections, fewer restrictions and a more normal local atmosphere.
As countries walk a tightrope to contain and suppress the virus, they are under pressure from tourism companies to spin the wheels. Italy, for example, has been allowing fully vaccinated US travelers to enter without quarantine since June 21. This is less restrictive than the conditions for arrivals from Australia, despite the far lower incidence of COVID-19 in Australia. But while nearly 50 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated as of June 24, it is less than five percent in Australia. It is a shockingly sad achievement and it is not surprising that Italy is not interested in granting us this privilege.
See also: “We save money cleaning up”: Europe is preparing for a summer without Aussies
