President Joe Biden isn't the only one to announce big news recently about vaccine requirements. As reported August 30 by Dawn Gilbertson with USA Today, the European Union removed the United States from its list of safe countries, thus recommending travel restrictions.
France, as Gilbertson reported on Friday, is joining other countries in a move to ban unvaccinated Americans from unnecessary travel. Those unvaccinated travels who do need to travel to the country will have to fulfill certain requirements.
??TRAVEL UPDATE
— French Embassy U.S. (@franceintheus) September 10, 2021
Starting Sunday from?????????? no change for vaccinated travelers, but for non-vaccinated travelers:
??Proof of compelling reason to enter FR
??Neg. PCR test taken <72hrs or neg. antigen test taken <48hrs
??7 day self-isolation on arrival
Read??https://t.co/H1AaxkKOe8 pic.twitter.com/qOI8NmtuSR
The travel restrictions will go into place on Sunday, but restrictions are already in place in France for tourists and have been for a few months now, depending on the activity.
From an AP report in July:
PARIS – Visitors now need a special COVID-19 pass to ride up the Eiffel Tower or visit French museums or movie theaters, the first step in a new campaign against what the government calls a “stratospheric” rise in delta variant infections.
As the new rule came into effect Wednesday, unprepared tourists lined up for quick virus tests at the Paris landmark. To get the COVID-19 pass, people must show they are fully vaccinated, have a negative virus test or prove that they recently recovered from an infection.
...
At the Eiffel Tower, masked workers scanned QR codes on digital health passes or checked printed vaccine or test certificates. The measures went into effect Wednesday at cultural and tourist sites, following a government decree.
And an AP report from August:
PARIS – France took a big step Monday into a post-pandemic future by requiring people to show a QR code proving they have a special virus pass before they can enjoy restaurants and cafes or travel across the country.
The measure is part of a government plan to encourage more people to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot and slow down a surge in infections, as the highly contagious delta variant now accounts for most cases in France. Over 36 million people in France, or more than 54% of the population, are fully vaccinated.
The special pass is issued to people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have proof of a recent recovery from the virus, or who have a recent negative test. The measure also applies to tourists visiting the country.
The report noted though that many restaurant owners have not been checking, seeing it as not their job to enforce.
Matt highlighted the creepiness of this vaccine passport when it went into effect.
While the recommendation from the EU is nonbinding, France is not the only one to have imposed such restrictions.
It's not even the most restrictive nation in the EU, either. Italy has imposed restrictions on vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers alike. Even vaccinated travelers must take a negative test 72 hours before their arrival and they must also fill out a digital passenger locator form for contact tracing if someone is exposed during a trip.