Many countries in the world are removing the restrictions they have put into effect within the scope of Covid-19 and continue the ‘normalization’ process.
The European Union announced that as of February 1, it will remove travel restrictions for people who have a Covid certificate, and will impose sanctions only on those who travel from regions with a high number of cases and those who do not have a vaccination certificate.
Many European Union countries have announced that they will relax their travel rules regarding this new decision.
The Portuguese government said last week that all travelers who show an EU vaccination certificate or can prove they have been vaccinated will be able to enter the country without having to undergo a PCR test.
According to the statements of the Greek Ministries of Tourism and Health, as of today, those who travel to Greece and have a European approved vaccination certificate will be required to show a negative PCR test.
In recent months, all travelers over the age of five in Greece were required to show a negative PCR test upon entry, but this requirement is no longer required.
Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias, who said that the country expects the tourism season to start from March 1, announced that “even if the rules are loosened, the measures will continue and we will be careful”.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Health has announced that it has loosened the entry measures to Bulgaria within the scope of the COVID-19 outbreak in the past weeks. Within the scope of the new application that came into effect on February 1, it will be possible to travel from Turkey to Bulgaria if a valid vaccination certificate, document proving the disease or PCR test is shown.
Hans Kluge, Europe Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that Europe may soon enter a “long period of calm” in the Covid-19 pandemic, citing high vaccination rates, the end of winter soon, and the Omicron variant not being too heavy.
“This period of high protection should be seen as a ceasefire that will bring us lasting peace,” said the WHO Europe Director.
Australia opens its borders
Australia, which has implemented the world’s most stringent Covid-19 travel measures and has almost completely restricted entry and exit from the country since March 2020, announced that it will open its borders to vaccinated passengers from February 21.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that people who will enter the country must prove that they are fully vaccinated.
“The rules are this way and everyone is expected to abide by it. If you are fully vaccinated, we would be happy to host you in our country again,” said Morrison.
Those who cannot be vaccinated for various health reasons and who want to travel to Australia will be expected to apply for entry to the country by showing a vaccination exemption document. If the applications are successful, they will have to stay in quarantine for a certain period of time in a hotel upon entry to the country.
According to the data of John Hopkins University, more than 2.7 million cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Australia to date, while 4 thousand 248 people have died. It is thought that 80 percent of the country is fully vaccinated.