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Easing of COVID measures in Europe outside the UK

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P Binnersley

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Covid-19: Spain scraps self-isolation for asymptomatic and mild cases​

(unless you are over 60).

From Monday March 28th, people in Spain who test positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will no longer be required to quarantine for seven days.

It will also no longer be necessary for people with mild symptoms that could be related to Covid-19 to get tested to confirm their infection.
Spain is bringing to a close its compulsory period of quarantine for those who test positive for the coronavirus but don’t have serious symptoms, the country’s Public Health Commission announced last Tuesday.
The health body which advises Spain’s Health Ministry on which actions to take recommends that people with Covid-19 but who have mild or no symptoms still stay at home and rest, that if they go out they wear a mask indoors and outdoors, and that they keep social contact to a minimum for a week.
Quarantines will remain mandatory for serious cases and those classified as part of the high-risk or vulnerable population, which includes those over 60 years of age, immunosuppressed people and pregnant women.


There is a lot of talk about dispensing with face covering indoors, but a reluctance to make a decision.
The Spanish health travel form also remains.
 
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nw1

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Covid-19: Spain scraps self-isolation for asymptomatic and mild cases​

(unless you are over 60).

From Monday March 28th, people in Spain who test positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will no longer be required to quarantine for seven days.

It will also no longer be necessary for people with mild symptoms that could be related to Covid-19 to get tested to confirm their infection.
Spain is bringing to a close its compulsory period of quarantine for those who test positive for the coronavirus but don’t have serious symptoms, the country’s Public Health Commission announced last Tuesday.
The health body which advises Spain’s Health Ministry on which actions to take recommends that people with Covid-19 but who have mild or no symptoms still stay at home and rest, that if they go out they wear a mask indoors and outdoors, and that they keep social contact to a minimum for a week.
Quarantines will remain mandatory for serious cases and those classified as part of the high-risk or vulnerable population, which includes those over 60 years of age, immunosuppressed people and pregnant women.


There is a lot of talk about dispensing with face covering indoors, but a reluctance to make a decision.
The Spanish health travel form also remains.

This is good news, but I still take exception to the legislation aimed at over-60s, part of the ageism (and xenophobia, see other threads) that has become politically acceptable over Covid.

Yes, a person over 60 is more at risk than a person under 40, let's say - but surely the whole point of quarantine is to prevent spread? Unless there's some strong evidence that over 60s spread it more than younger people, it's utterly crazy.
 

LAX54

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Assuming things may change before the summer holidays, but Austria I see are saying (from 24th March) you are only considered vaccianted up to 270 days after your third (booster) jab, after that you are deemed unvaccinated.
 

Huntergreed

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Assuming things may change before the summer holidays, but Austria I see are saying (from 24th March) you are only considered vaccianted up to 270 days after your third (booster) jab, after that you are deemed unvaccinated.
I see Austria has also reintroduced a blanket FFP2 mandate in indoor spaces following a rise in cases. Disappointing to see when a lot of countries are easing rules!
 

joncombe

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Apparently Spain has now back tracked on allowing entry for travellers that are unvaccinated and has deferred the relaxation until the end of April.
 
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All 2G/3G restrictions dropped in Germany, masks only required on public transport and healthcare settings. However federal states can introduce measures in 'Hotspots'
 

AY1975

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Assuming things may change before the summer holidays, but Austria I see are saying (from 24th March) you are only considered vaccinated up to 270 days after your third (booster) jab, after that you are deemed unvaccinated.
I'm thinking of going to Austria and Germany in July, and I had my booster just before last Christmas. By my reckoning on that basis I should be OK until at least September.

Unlike for my first two vaccines I wasn't given a paper vaccination certificate for my booster, though, so I will presumably have to download the NHS Covid app and it should come up automatically when I enter my NHS number.
All 2G/3G restrictions dropped in Germany, masks only required on public transport and healthcare settings. However federal states can introduce measures in 'Hotspots'
I believe that Germany also still insists on FPP2 masks rather than conventional cloth masks.

I wonder if you have to wear a mask in bed on night trains if sharing a sleeper or couchette compartment with someone from outside your household or bubble? Or on daytime trains in a compartment even if there's no-one else in your compartment?

I see that Belgium also requires third country nationals (including UK nationals) to complete a passenger locator form.

I suppose in theory if travelling within the Schengen area, as long as you aren't checked at an intra-Schengen border (such as the Belgium/Germany or Germany/Austria border), if you are compliant with one Schengen country's restrictions but not another's, there's no way of enforcing those restrictions for travellers within the Schengen area. I think they do occasionally do random checks at intra-Schengen borders, though.
 

island

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Unlike for my first two vaccines I wasn't given a paper vaccination certificate for my booster, though, so I will presumably have to download the NHS Covid app and it should come up automatically when I enter my NHS number.
You would need to do that anyway as the EU countries predominantly won't accept paper/handwritten proof of vaccination now, it has to be something they can scan and verify.
I believe that Germany also still insists on FPP2 masks rather than conventional cloth masks.
This seems to vary state to state, many accept single use "surgical" style masks which need not be FFP2, but reusable/homemade cloth masks are less accepted.
I wonder if you have to wear a mask in bed on night trains if sharing a sleeper or couchette compartment with someone from outside your household or bubble? Or on daytime trains in a compartment even if there's no-one else in your compartment?
My understanding is that you do in both of these scenarios.
I see that Belgium also requires third country nationals (including UK nationals) to complete a passenger locator form.

I suppose in theory if travelling within the Schengen area, as long as you aren't checked at an intra-Schengen border (such as the Belgium/Germany or Germany/Austria border), if you are compliant with one Schengen country's restrictions but not another's, there's no way of enforcing those restrictions for travellers within the Schengen area. I think they do occasionally do random checks at intra-Schengen borders, though.
Belgian officials are known to run on-board checks on trains between Lille and Brussels for this and other purposes. Being an EU citizen I have not looked carefully into the details.
 

roversfan2001

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Unlike for my first two vaccines I wasn't given a paper vaccination certificate for my booster, though, so I will presumably have to download the NHS Covid app and it should come up automatically when I enter my NHS number.
The paper vaccination card was never intended to be used as proof of vaccination, either domestically or abroad. The NHS App (not the Covid one) is fairly easy to use, took a matter of minutes to get my Covid pass when I first logged in. You can add the QR codes to your Apple/Google wallet too for easy access.
 

Peterthegreat

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You would need to do that anyway as the EU countries predominantly won't accept paper/handwritten proof of vaccination now, it has to be something they can scan and verify.

This seems to vary state to state, many accept single use "surgical" style masks which need not be FFP2, but reusable/homemade cloth masks are less accepted.

My understanding is that you do in both of these scenarios.

Belgian officials are known to run on-board checks on trains between Lille and Brussels for this and other purposes. Being an EU citizen I have not looked carefully into the details.
The Belgianbrules apply to country of origin, not citizenship. A Belgian national coming from the UK needs to fill in a PLF, a UK national entering Belgium from another Schengen country does not.
 

Mag_seven

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The Belgianbrules apply to country of origin, not citizenship. A Belgian national coming from the UK needs to fill in a PLF, a UK national entering Belgium from another Schengen country does not.

All of which makes no difference in terms of virus spread - what a pointless charade.
 

nw1

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I'm thinking of going to Austria and Germany in July, and I had my booster just before last Christmas. By my reckoning on that basis I should be OK until at least September.

Unlike for my first two vaccines I wasn't given a paper vaccination certificate for my booster, though, so I will presumably have to download the NHS Covid app and it should come up automatically when I enter my NHS number.

I believe that Germany also still insists on FPP2 masks rather than conventional cloth masks.

I wonder if you have to wear a mask in bed on night trains if sharing a sleeper or couchette compartment with someone from outside your household or bubble? Or on daytime trains in a compartment even if there's no-one else in your compartment?

I see that Belgium also requires third country nationals (including UK nationals) to complete a passenger locator form.

I suppose in theory if travelling within the Schengen area, as long as you aren't checked at an intra-Schengen border (such as the Belgium/Germany or Germany/Austria border), if you are compliant with one Schengen country's restrictions but not another's, there's no way of enforcing those restrictions for travellers within the Schengen area. I think they do occasionally do random checks at intra-Schengen borders, though.

What is interesting is that the remaining countries with relatively hardline measures (proof of negative test and/or vaccine certificates which time out after 9 months and/or PLF) do all seem to be geographically in the same general area of Europe, and all are relatively economically affluent. I wonder if this is because they feel they, as in their economies, do not need overseas tourists as much as those countries which have opened up - and feel that (even though Omicron is mild) foreign tourism by people with nine-month-old or more vaccinations would do more harm than good?

Obviously the measures do not exclude all foreign visitors, but even still, unless you had a burning desire to visit a particular country, I suspect most people would choose a destination with little or no bureaucracy and red tape required to visit. And differentiation between arrivals from EU and non-EU countries on whether a PLF is required or not is scientifically illiterate. At least they are not differentiating based on citizenship, which really would be very bad.
 
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Mag_seven

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It all goes back to the "close the borders" rhetoric at the start of the pandemic. But as we have seen with a respiratory virus such policies simply don't work.
 

gabrielhj07

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What is interesting is that the remaining countries with relatively hardline measures (proof of negative test and/or vaccine certificates which time out after 9 months and/or PLF) do all seem to be geographically in the same general area of Europe, and all are relatively economically affluent. I wonder if this is because they feel they, as in their economies, do not need overseas tourists as much as those countries which have opened up - and feel that (even though Omicron is mild) foreign tourism by people with nine-month-old or more vaccinations would do more harm than good?

Obviously the measures do not exclude all foreign visitors, but even still, unless you had a burning desire to visit a particular country, I suspect most people would choose a destination with little or no bureaucracy and red tape required to visit. And differentiation between arrivals from EU and non-EU countries on whether a PLF is required or not is scientifically illiterate. At least they are not differentiating based on citizenship, which really would be very bad.
Very true, note the eastward shift in package holidays after the collapse of the USSR.

Certainly the 'path of least resistance' approach to holidays found a niche during the 'height' of covid, when one could use the Northern Ireland back door to visit the Republic.
 

nw1

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It all goes back to the "close the borders" rhetoric at the start of the pandemic. But as we have seen with a respiratory virus such policies simply don't work.

And the UK was just as bad, of course. The £5000 fine for leaving the UK last spring was even more absurd! Not to mention the hotel quarantine at visitors' own expense, and subject to change at short notice.

Not sure if it was Hancock pushing this, if so it made him look even more of an idiot when he was found out.
 

gabrielhj07

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And the UK was just as bad, of course. The £5000 fine for leaving the UK last spring was even more absurd! Not to mention the hotel quarantine at visitors' own expense, and subject to change at short notice.

Not sure if it was Hancock pushing this, if so it made him look even more of an idiot when he was found out.
Could be worse, I remember the French education minister announcing the introduction of masks & testing in primary schools while on holiday in Ibiza!
 

island

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With effect from Monday, mask-wearing on Eurostar trains and at their stations will be a personal choice.
 

Mainline421

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I can't find any reference to this on their website. Do you have a link?
Following the latest announcement by the French government, face masks will no longer be compulsory on board Eurostar trains and in our stations from Monday 16 May.

It will be a personal choice and we are respectful that some customers and staff may continue to wear a mask.
 
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