European countries are imposing bans on American tourists

by

(CNN) – The outlook for European travel for Americans has begun to decline once again as countries take further action in response to a recent rise in U.S. Covid cases.

Earlier this week, the European Union announced it would remove the United States from its security list, advising its 27 member states to reconsider entry to non-essential American travelers.

Many of the major tourist destinations that welcomed much-needed U.S. visitors earlier this year have so far opted to ignore non-binding EU advice. Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden have become the first to impose new rules.

As of Sept. 4, the Netherlands says the United States will be designated a “high-risk zone,” joining Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and northern Macedonia as new additions to that list. according to a government website.

While travelers will be allowed to enter these and other high-risk countries if they are fully vaccinated, they must remain in quarantine for ten days. And as of Sept. 6, they must also produce a negative Covid test.

Sweden, which had previously exempted U.S. travelers from a ban on virtually all arrivals outside the EU, has also removed the country from the approved list, along with Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and northern Macedonia.

Tourism industry battered by pandemics

The country said in a press release that the measure would apply to all non-essential arrivals, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, although those with a Swedish resident’s permit who may produce recent negative evidence could be exempt. .

He added that the Swedish authorities were considering whether to allow fully vaccinated arrivals from certain counties and “return to this issue later”.

Italy, which was one of the first European countries to open its borders earlier this year, has also introduced new measures affecting arrivals from all destinations, including the United States.

On August 31, it began requiring all visitors to demonstrate a Covid PCR or antigen test performed within 72 hours of the trip, regardless of whether they are vaccinated.

Those travelers who are not vaccinated or who have evidence of recovery from Covid should be quarantined for five days on arrival and given a swab test, according to the Italian Ministry of Health.

It is still unclear whether other European countries, many of which have opted for an influx of U.S. visitors to help revive their pandemic-battered tourism economies, will also revise the rules.

Covid cases have increased dramatically in the United States during the months of July and September, with the Delta variant of the disease guilty of many new cases.

Main image credit: Antonio Masiello / Getty Image

Livia Borghese and Nada Bashir contributed to this story

.Source