UK Allows Quarantine-Free Travel for Americans, While EU Approaches with Caution
Joe Cortez July 28, 2021
After much delay and pleading by airlines, both the European Union and United Kingdom are set to announce quarantine-free travel options for flyers coming from the United States. To qualify, flyers must be fully vaccinated against the novel Coronavirus and be willing to get tested before and after arrival.
American travelers with hopes of flying across the Atlantic for vacation may soon be allowed to fly into the United Kingdom and European Union without a mandatory quarantine policy. Officials are now outlining plans to welcome back U.S.-based vaccinated travelers once more.
Britain Reopens Travel to England, While E.U. Opens Country-by-Country
Those who are planning a getaway into continental Europe will be welcomed into the nations of the trade bloc starting August 2, 2021. Sky News reports British transportation secretary Grant Shapps made the announcement on Wednesday, July 28. The re-opening will start with England, potentially followed by a full reopening of the nation.
To enter England without a quarantine period, travelers must provide proof of full inoculation with vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both the Janssen and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by both the E.U. EMA and the U.S. FDA.
Although travelers will not be required to sequester, they will still need to take a COVID-19 test both prior to and after arrival. Flyers will need to take a test and provide a negative result before landing, followed by another PCR test within two days of arrival. If both are negative, travelers will be allowed to continue without a quarantine period.
As England begins their reopening process to American travelers, the European Union is allowing member countries to set their own rules for flyers. According to The New York Times, every member country is reopening based on several factors, including the spread of the novel Coronavirus and available medical facilities.
While International Borders Open, U.S. Remains Shut
As more international partners open their borders to American travelers, the United States is continuing to lock out foreign travelers to the country. Canada will re-open their borders to U.S.-based travelers starting on August 9, 2021, but the United States will keep land borders closed through at least Aug. 21. And while Europe is opening up, the U.S. is still not allowing British travelers to enter the country.
Note: This report has been updated to correct erroneous information from the author. The new rules only apply to the United Kingdom, which exited the European Union in 202o.
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The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, also in wide use in the US, has also been approved by the EMA - as anyone not under a rock should know.
I'm so glad you corrected this article. Belgium is wide open - if you have not been exposed to anyone with covid, and are well, you can enter without restrictions. YAY!
Big mistake. The EU should absolutely not take any further steps until reciprocity is offered by the US.
This post is half wrong. The SkyNews article discusses the same thing as the Reuters article - the UK dropping quarantine requirements for passengers from the US and EU. It says nothing about the European Union changing anything for passengers from the US. Grant Sharps isn't the European Union transportation secretary, he's the UK Transport Secretary; and he was announcing changes to the UK quarantine rules, not the EU rules.
I think that Mr. Shapps is Minister of Transport for the UK, not the EU. And that the Sky News article talks about admitting US and EU citizens to the UK, not about admitting US citizens to the EU. I do not think there has been a similar move by the entire European bloc. As I am sure most of us on this Website know, many of the individual EU countries are indeed allowing US folks to come with varying degrees of ease or restriction (excepting Norway, it seems). But Minister Shapps is not speaking to that.