The Council of the European Union updated on Monday the list of countries, special administrative regions and other territories on which it recommends the temporary lifting of restrictions on non-essential and non-vaccinated travel by member states.
On this occasion, the removal of Argentina, Australia, and Canada from the list stands out, which opens the door for European countries to establish new specific restrictions for those coming from these countries, which are not essential and are not vaccinated, although it is not mandatory, therefore it is recommended that passengers check the websites of the respective embassies for the specific requirements of their destination before traveling.
What this list does prevent, however, is that European states lift restrictions for unvaccinated and non-essential passengers from third countries not included in the list without a coordinated decision.
The Delegation of the European Union in Argentina indicated that this decision was taken by the Council due to the epidemiological situation of the country, which has been suffering record numbers of infections as a consequence of the omicron variant. However, it is worth noting that this has not been reflected in a proportional increase in serious hospitalizations or deaths.
Argentina had been included in this list at the end of October 2021, but it is reviewed by the Council every two weeks.
In addition, this update has brought as a positive for Latin America and the Caribbean the inclusion of Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay among the countries on which travel restrictions should be lifted. Other countries from other regions include Bahrain, Indonesia, Kuwait, New Zealand, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and China, although in the latter case subject to reciprocity.
