JDiver

BBC: A gradual lifting of borders has been proposed by the EU's executive in an attempt to kick-start a tourist industry hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

“‘Our message is we will have a tourist season this summer," said economic affairs commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, "even if it's with security measures and limitations.’

Borders closed across the EU, including the border-free Schengen zone.
But states are starting to reopen them.

Austria and Germany have become the latest EU countries to agree to remove travel restrictions.
From Friday there will be random checks at border crossings and then on 15 June free movement should resume. "We want to make people's everyday lives easier and take another step towards more normality," said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.”

The implications for non-EU, including US travelers, are yet unclear.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52644816

GUWonder

The implications of that for US tourists wanting to visit the EU is pretty clear.

The EU is pushing for an internal opening by June 15th and otherwise by this summer for internal travelers.

Allowing travel for the average US passport user to play tourist in the Schengen zone is on the EU back-burner and the gas is not even on for that back-burner at this point with the above talked about “summer opening”.

Unless a US passport user is already in one of the exemption categories for the current EU travel ban, US passport users in the main shouldn’t get their hopes up for an opening to visit the EU even in July and a chunk of August. Or perhaps even after that.

Badenoch

The EU Commission can issue whatever "guidance" it likes. It is the individual member states that will decide when and to whom their borders will open.

GUWonder

When it comes to entry of third country nationals into the Schengen zone, an individual member state is required to follow whatever the EU Schengen collective has agreed to put in place.

Sweden, for example, didn’t want to prevent US tourists from coming into Sweden in recent months, but Sweden was required to follow the Schengen-wide ban applicable to US passport users coming to the Schengen zone because the EU Schengen collective approved it.

Unless and until France and Germany want American tourists coming this July or August to the Schengen zone, don’t hold your breath waiting for the wide Schengen passport control doors opening up for the average US passport user.

MSPeconomist

It would be business travel rather than tourism, but I just received an invitation to a small conference to be held in Germany in September (2020). They pay travel expenses.

I'm betting it won't happen or will be online, in which case I'm not interested.

Badenoch

Sweden wanted to let people in. What about the reverse? Can an individual member state keep people out, Schengen or otherwise, if it is believed they present a public health threat?

Dieuwer

There WON'T BE a tourist season with mandatory 14-day quarantines popping up all over Europe.

GUWonder

Yes and yes. In the case of letting people in, Sweden had to comply with the EU-wide ban. Some EUcountries even have had national bans against some other countries’ EU citizens from coming into the country, although those are harder to enforce in practical terms when it comes to Schengen countries’ citizens.

irishguy28

....the only one that has popped up recently is the UK. All others have been in place since March, and are unlikely to be relaxed anytime soon to the extent that intercontinental tourism is possible this (northern) summer.

And note that US tourists would have to observe a total of 28 dates of self-isolation - upon arrival at their destination, and upon return to the US. It is a requirement that returning US nationals and legal permanent residents self-isolate for 14 days on return from any international travel . Given the US's ban on all non-nationals who have recently been in Europe from entering the US, you cannot view this as merely advisory or discretionary. If the threat warrants a ban on entry, then you should observe this requirement on your return.

Until countries advise that they are once again welcoming long-haul tourists/all tourists, it would be inadvisable for anyone to set out on "holidays". There is a risk that you will be refused entry if challenged for the purpose of your visit.

Dieuwer

It is not a legal requirement, it is a suggestion. There is NO LAW stating that you MUST self-isolate for 14 days on returning from abroad.
In fact, it is pure security theater/dog-n-pony show. The chance you get COVID-19 from your local supermarket is probably higher than travel with face masks, social distancing and adhering to personal hygiene.

nomiiiii

Exactly. 2 things are absolutely important for any tourist/business traveller to even consider going anywhere.

1) No mandatory 14 day quarantines. It should be obvious why no one has the extra two weeks to spare for a holiday or business meeting. Any 14 day quarantine also makes multi-country trips impossible.

2) No medical tests on arrival or departure of the flight - if there are medical tests, that runs the risk of you failing the test. Failing the test means, at best, your non-refundable holiday is ruined if you failed the test before leaving for your trip. But at worst, it could mean disaster if you failed the test say, at the flight back at the end of your holiday and are now denied boarding on the flight back home and unable to go back home to restart your job which risks losing your job.

Same as how visas and passports are fully arranged several days before the trip even starts (and then the visa/passport has to be valid for a few weeks/months so your entire trip is covered), any health tests/checks need to be several days before the trip even starts (so you can cancel and make other arrangements if you're unable to acquire the health certification), and that certification will need to be valid for the entirety of the trip for a few weeks because no one wants to risk being stranded abroad on failing the test when heading back home.

lwildernorva

Before all this happened, I had trips planned for Scotland in July, which depending on other circumstances, could have been moved to August, and for Spain in November. Almost under no circumstances do I expect restrictions for either of those destinations to be relaxed enough to allow unfettered travel for US citizens in those time frames.

I'm disappointed, of course, but I have a hard time criticizing any government's decision about how to keep people safe during these times.

nomiiiii

The quarantine in US is not really a quarantine. There isn't any explicit law around it (trump's tweets don't count), and there is absolutely zero enforcement (except for Hawaii). No one should realistically be worried to visit the US based on the quarantine rules (except Hawaii). They can be worried to visit the US for other reasons (virus exposure etc), but not the risk of being locked up in a quarantine per se (except Hawaii).

The quarantines in other countries is way more problematic - it seems that other countries have actual real enforcement, upto and including putting you in a locked up govt facility (like India/Pakistan) or a hotel that you're not allowed to leave (like Taiwan/NewZealand). Absolutely no tourists will want to go through these enforceable and real quarantines because a holiday is not being stuck in a fancy hotel jail.

Epicura

External EU borders are closed until June 15 at least. Irrespective of any sort of quarantine measures. My opinion: these will be extended. EU is trying to encourage opening up internal borders in order to guarantee free movement of EU citizens. EU citizens, not third country tourists.

Also note that opening of internal borders do at least require that countries are in similar stages of the pandemic. That says a lot about how EU is envisioning any kind of travel.

Travel within EU for EU citizens: first priority. Everything else: long term.

nk15

Based on how the US is handling the pandemic, and a possible second wave coming, EU will be insane to let American tourists in without tests, masks, and other measures...