EU states continue easing Covid-19 travel curbs as Portugal & Italy welcome back some foreign visitors

As of Sunday, travelers from Israel, the UK and the EU will no longer have to quarantine when they visit Italy as long as they test negative for Covid-19, the Italian government said, as Europe prepares for the return of tourism.

Italy will also extend its list of routes for so-called ‘Covid-free’ flights to include Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

The arrangements, which are currently in place for visitors from the US, require travelers to test negative with a rapid lateral flow test in the 48 hours before boarding flights, with a further test on arrival in Italy.

The move came as Portugal also announced on Friday it would allow non-essential travel from the UK from Monday, as long as visitors have tested negative for Covid-19 in the previous 72 hours.

The country is set to host the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea in Porto on May 29, with some 6,000 fans of each club allowed to attend.

Portugal is already on the UK's travel “green list” meaning visitors to the Iberian country do not have to quarantine on their return to Britain.

Greece also officially launched its tourist season this week, welcoming travelers from Russia who have been vaccinated with the country's Sputnik V Covid-19 jab, which has not yet been authorized by EU regulators.

Vaccinated visitors who are Covid-negative will also be permitted to jet into the Mediterranean country from the EU, UK, US, Serbia and Israel.

This week the European Commission announced it was closer to a Covid-19 travel certificate, allowing vaccinated tourists to move more freely through the bloc this summer.

“This is a priority for our citizens and therefore I believe we will deliver [on the certificate] before summer,” Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic told reporters on Tuesday.

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