The ban, European officials emphasize, has kept families separate since early 2020 when the coronavirus broke out across Europe. European countries have survived a third wave of infections driven by the Delta variant. But infection rates have flattened and even decreased in several countries, including the UK.
British newspapers played up the fact that the parents of Emma Raducanu, the British woman who won the US Open tennis tournament, couldn’t travel to New York to watch her play.
Europe is the largest market for passenger flows to and from the UK, according to the International Air Transport Association, but North America is the second largest market with 10.1 million passengers.
Constantin Film, one of the largest German production and distribution groups, has its headquarters in Munich and an office in Los Angeles, says company boss Martin Moszkowicz.
During the 18 months of the travel ban, the company’s investments in the US economy were “essentially zero,” said Moszkowicz. The company had to move production of two feature films and a show to Canada and South Africa, he said.
For many, the travel ban meant losing time with family.
“I try not to cry because it’s such a beautiful day,” said Giovanni Vincenti, 42, an Italian professor who lives in Baltimore. Vincenti’s daughter, who was born in May last year, never met her grandparents due to travel restrictions.
Cristina Garbarino, 55, a babysitter in Genoa, Italy, said the travel ban put her visa and marriage plan on hold, separating her from her fiancé, who lives in New Hampshire, for almost two years.
“At my age, I don’t have much time to lose,” she said, “and I’ve lost two years this way.”
The reporting was contributed by Emma Bubola from Rome, Stephen Castle from London, Ceylan Yeginsu from Istanbul and Patrick Wehner from Washington.
