EU sets guidelines for socially-distanced summer

Goodbye to food and drinks on board, and hello to wearing face masks: these are among the guidelines set out by the European Commission to help member states edge towards allowing tourism and international travel.

The advice walks a tightrope between signalling hope to tourism businesses facing bankruptcy, and stressing that the utmost caution is needed to prevent triggering disastrous new outbreaks of coronavirus that could cause a spike in deaths and plunge countries into further economic turmoil.

”This is not going to be a normal summer, not for any of us,” said commissioner Margrethe Vestager as she announced the plans. “But when we all work together and do our part, in the ways that the commission is setting out today, we don’t have to face a summer stuck at home, or a completely lost season for Europe’s tourist industry.”

As it stands, domestic lockdown restrictions are still in place in many countries, and many borders remain closed. A patchwork of different rules apply across the bloc, with some states requiring arrivals to go into a two-week quarantine.

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But the EU has faced pressure to help member states open back up, particularly from countries such as Croatia and Greece, where tourism accounts for over a fifth of the national economy. It accounts for some 10 per cent of gross domestic product across the bloc.

Outside the EU

The commission has advised that member states keep borders closed to travellers from outside the EU until mid-June at least.

Within the bloc, hard-hit countries such as Spain are highly cautious towards re-opening, indicating that borders will remain closed to tourists until July.

But other countries have begun edging towards re-opening already. The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania plan to open their borders to each other on Friday. Austria and Germany plan to fully open their border to each other in mid-June: a boon to the Austrian tourism industry, which is highly reliant on German visitors.

The first step back toward normality is for governments to put in place comprehensive testing and tracing systems that will allow national authorities to immediately spot and corner any future outbreaks of the disease, according to the commission.

“Tourism is a vital part of Europe’s economy . . . but we have to reintroduce it safely. So this is the first fundamental principle that underlies our guidance,” Vestager said. “That means taking gradual, careful steps to help travel restart, in line with what the science tells us.”

Tracing app

The guidance lays out recommendations for each stage of a journey, with specific guidelines for transport operators and tourist businesses like hotels.

But the initial move is in the hands of governments. When countries are considering whether to open up their borders, governments must consider the prevalence of the disease on the other side of the border, the commission advises.

Ideally, their health services have already introduced contact-tracing apps that alert users to whether or not they have been exposed to the disease through their mobile phones, that are inter-operable with other national apps so that they can track risks abroad as well as at home.

Member states are not yet at the stage of re-opening travel, the commission warns. Currently, it deems the EU to be in “Phase Zero”, in which only people travelling for work are generally allowed to move between states.

In next phase, travel would resume between countries that agree to allow it as they are at a similar stage of the pandemic, for personal, professional or tourism reasons.

Full freedom to travel throughout the bloc would only come in the next phase after that – and the commission warns Coronavirus flare ups could happen, setting progress back and closing the borders once again. One thing is for certain, Ms Vestager said: “Obviously, no one should travel if they feel sick.”

EU Advice

A summary of the advice, from booking, to the trip, to the return home:

– Before opening borders, member states should put in place a testing and tracing system that allows them to immediately spot and clamp down on Coronavirus outbreaks when they occur. They should also introduce contact tracing apps that are inter-operable with other countries, allowing for users to be warned through their mobile phone if they are exposed to the virus whether at home or abroad.

– Countries that have the pandemic under control should make decisions about opening their borders in co-operation with the corresponding member states and not act unilaterally, and should consider opening to countries with a comparable level of the disease.

– Passengers should book tickets online rather than in person, and travel companies should advise travellers how to avoid peak hours.

–Travellers should check in online, arrive to the station or airport early, keep a distance of 1.5 to 2 metres from others, and may have to wear a facemask. Stations, ports and airports should be cleaned regularly, have hand-sanitiser available, and ensure distancing between passengers, including by removing tables or benches to avoid crowding.

– During the journey on a plane, train, bus, or boat, travellers may have to wear a mask, may not be able to buy food or drink, and may have to sit at a distance to other passengers. Transport companies should ensure vehicles are clean and ventilated, protect drivers with barriers, have automatic doors to avoid touching, admit fewer passengers, provide hand-sanitiser, and have a plan for if a passenger appears to be ill.

– At hotels, travellers should always keep a distance of 1.5 to 2 metres, practice good hand hygiene and etiquette when coughing or sneezing, and may have to wear face masks. Management should increase ventilation and disinfection, and instruct staff on how to properly clean, dispose of waste, and maintain hygiene.

– If a traveller becomes ill after returning home, they should engage with contact tracing apps to help the tracking of the virus and follow advice to avoid spreading it further.