And to think – a little more than two months ago, back in June, the European Union had classified the United States as a safe travel market for tourists to come back.
But that’s how quickly the delta variant of COVID-19 has surged in the U.S., causing a rapid rise in positive cases and causing EU officials to drop the U.S. from its safe list, advising its 27 member states to reconsider allowing entry to nonessential U.S. travelers.
And more and more countries are heeding that advice.
Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden have become the first to impose new rules.
Starting today, Saturday, September 4, The Netherlands is recategorizing the U.S. as ‘very high-risk.’ Unvaccinated American travelers will be denied access, and those who are fully vaccinated will be required to quarantine for 10 days upon entering the country. Visitors may qualify to exit quarantine early by getting tested on the fifth day of their isolation.
Sweden, which had previously exempted U.S. travelers from a ban on almost all non-EU arrivals, has also removed the country from its approved list.
Italy, which was one of the first European countries to open its borders earlier this year, has also introduced new measures affecting arrivals from all destinations, including the U.S. On August 31, it began requiring all visitors to show proof of a PCR or antigen Covid test taken within 72 hours of travel, regardless of whether they are vaccinated.