Re-open EU shows the corona rules for each EU country
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, gave the go-ahead in December for the vaccinations in the European Union that should be the way out of the corona crisis. Slowly but surely, Europe is starting to relax. What the easing looks like differs from country to country. Re-open EU offers a handy overview of all applicable measures per country.
Re-open EU
Everyone agrees that it would be nice to get back to the old normal as soon as possible. In the short term, more and more will become possible, and it even seems that this summer there are again possibilities to go on holiday freely within the European Union. Countries are working on a corona passport that records whether you have been vaccinated, you have been tested for corona, or whether you have ever contracted corona. However, countries can choose to ban travelers from specific regions, or in addition to being able to show the corona passport, additional rules apply, such as mandatory quarantine after arrival.
You can look up such rules manually, but that creates a lot of extra work. That is why the EU has developed an app to address the concerns of travelers within the EU: Re-open EU. As the name indicates, the app has been developed to open up Europe to travelers, who can find all the measures within the app for the country they want to travel to.
Can I travel again?
Re-open EU is divided into four tabs per country, starting with a tab where information can be found about the infection cases in the country you are traveling to. In this tab you will also find a link to the body responsible for keeping track of corona cases, such as the RIVM in the Netherlands, along with a display of the number of vaccinations taken. Preferably also look at the region where you would like to travel to the number of infections. For example, Spain is divided into several provinces, whereby the number of infections in Madrid can be higher than the number of infections in, for example, Andalusia or Catalonia.
However, infection figures do not in themselves reflect the situation in a country you would like to travel to. With the second tab of the app it becomes clear what is or is not possible in a country. For example, non-essential shops are open and public transport is available for non-essential use. Not to be forgotten is whether catering is open and whether you can visit the beach, for example. You can also find information about the corona app used in the country within the second tab of the app, if applicable.
Before you can enjoy the hospitality industry abroad or spend a day on the beach in the sun, a corona test must first be taken for trips to certain countries. Countries are also free, until the arrival of the corona passport, to impose a quarantine obligation. The measures a country proposes to gain access can be found in the fourth tab under the heading of travel. Here you will also find information about ‘registering your trip’ before arrival. In countries such as Greece, such registrations must even be submitted at least 24 hours in advance.
European travel guide
Each country is linked to the most recent information. For example, Spain regularly publishes a new list showing the countries that pose a high risk. Travelers from those EU countries will have to take a PCR test before traveling and get a negative result back. Although the app is being developed by the European Union and therefore the information appears up-to-date, it can be useful to visit the linked websites at times to find out more information.
In any case, it seems to be a beautiful summer with more opportunities to travel. Are you going to download Re-open EU to see where you are traveling, or do you already know if you are going on a trip this summer? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article.
