ffay005

As far as EU wide solidarity is concerned, we’ve seen very little of that in the past year, what with all the border restrictions in place. And Finland has been the strictest member here!



Iltalehti had a pretty good editor comment that reflects my thoughts almost exactly. https://www.iltalehti.fi/politiikka/...c-dbcf58ca9798



It’s more the symbolism here than the actual action that I find is all wrong.



However, there’s one thing that does make me wonder. If 34.000 jabs is marginal, then how will this marginal figure help (eg) Croatia? Does the marginal figure become non-marginal when it crosses a national border?

intuition

Perhaps the marginal shipment is combined with other marginal shipments from other givers?

Courmisch

Mrs Von der Leyen already promised 70% of EU adults would have had the chance to be vaccinated by end of June, something like two months ago though. It's really nothing but estimations anyway. What if one of the supplier factory burns down, like happened in the (also under-supplied) chips business... But there is no denying that vaccine production is ramping up heavily in EU this month, so we just have to hope that logistics follow.

There's still the problem of want to be vaccinated, which is pretty low among younger age groups. By some models, we'd need 90% of the whole population vaccinated to stop the spread of the so-called British variant. In other words, even 100% of all adults wouldn't be enough.

Ed Size

It makes no sense to talk about the percentage in Europe if we are talking about a global pandemic, and 70% by end of June is quite optimistic, even for Europe. Look at the global numbers and you will realize that we either need to go another way or we have to wait a long time till it s back to normal. In China not 1% is vaccinated yet.

Globally at this point 1.9% of the population got full protection - so you can calculate yourself how long this will take.

Steve_Hun

Exactly as intuition wrote it, on its own the 34K vaccines will not become non-marginal after leaving Finland (BTW, I guess it never actually comes to FI, but redirected to HR), but as FI was not the only country donating vaccines, it can add up to a number that can actually make a difference.

Steve_Hun

And exactly these sorts of figures make me start to accept, that for the near future, travelling will mean intra EU, perhaps North-America, but the rest we can almost for sure forget for some time...

ffay005

All of Africa is open already. There are a few exceptions, but most nations just require a flu certificate, nothing more. (Same is true for several Central & South American countries.)

My friends who have visited a few countries in Africa seem to have gotten the impression that they already live in a post-covid world down there. While the disease might not have disappeared, other issues are considered more pressing and more important, so most people have just decided to forget about the bat flu and move on.

Courmisch

EU and rich countries in general are not going to wait for poorer countries to sort out vaccination. It would be politically, socially and economically unsustainable. Restrictions will be lifted gradually.

Well, yes. It took decades to eradicate smallpox, and it will take decades to eliminate Covid-19, if it ever happens. Also the plague and leprosy may evoke the Middle Ages in Europe, but they still exist in other parts of the world.

I stick to what Steve, myself and others have already stated: travel within EU will reopen earlier. Finnair Asia strategy is going to require some years to become a thing again.

There is still the problem of coming back from those countries without having to arrange a PCR test and/or getting quarantined. The first option is for vaccinated people to be exempted from the return restrictions, understanding that a small fraction of them will bring Covid-19 back with them. This is unfair until everybody has had a fair chance to be vaccinated though. Or then we have to get herd immunity in Europe.

Ed Size

If you only talking about the holiday, Europe is a great place, but if it comes to work we all need to go places, and the people from outside need to come to Europe for reasons, so we need a strategy as we have with other diseases, and I guess a vaccine does a good job right now, but medical treatment is way more important to stop the fear of that pandemic.

WilcoRoger

I've read comments along the lines of "we have so many other problems, from ebola to armed conflict to failed crops and locusts, that covid is just one more among many >>shrug<<"

florens

Looks like patience is still needed especially for leisure travel. Summary

May
Work-related travel within the EU will be permitted

June
EU internal border controls end

July/August
Work-related travel outside the EU opens up

No details on requirements regarding quarantine etc yet as far as I can see.

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/s...month/11875690

reflektia

Work related travel has been permitted all the time.

OH-LGG

All this is if, if and if.

Pointless speculation.

Courmisch

I don't know on what basis you draw that inference. But medical treatment has been the root cause of the problem all along, with hospital getting saturated. Nobody is going to bet on a cheap (unlike the monoclonal thingy), expeditive and effective treatment when there are seemingly working vaccines.

If a new strain comes out that not only resists the current vaccines but also attempts to make new ones, then that's a different story. But even I am not that pessimistic.

I guess a vaccination certificate will be required to enter (or return to) the Schengen area going forward, for quite some time.

WilcoRoger

Not in recent months - only certain groups (truck drivers, emergency workers, etc) were allowed. Many Estonians coming to work (construction, etc) were turned back and even more didn't dare go home because they couldn't have returned.

The text is ambiguous - should state "inbound work travel", as outbound was/could never forbidden.