Coronavirus: As EU Shuts Borders For 30 Days, What Tourists Must Know

The EU has shut its borders from much of the outside world, particularly to foreign tourists, in its bid to slow the coronavirus pandemic. In one of the most unprecedented moves in the history of the European Union, this sees Europe barricade itself up for at least 30 days from most foreign arrivals as it shuts the external borders to the bloc.

Gaining entry to the EU and Schengen area is now impossible for most non-EU citizens except people with essential reasons to travel. Those who don’t, need to rethink travel plans straight away.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission–the EU’s executive arm–tweeted the guidelines on the border closures on Monday. They were endorsed at a summit of EU leaders, held via a video conference Tuesday, and came into effect immediately. “The less travel, the more we can contain the virus,” von der Leyen said in a video statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron preempted the move on Monday evening, as he put France into a 15-day Italy-style lockdown, barring people to their homes other than for essential movement as the country fights one of Europe’s worst outbreaks.

“External borders of the European Union and the Schengen area will be closed,” he declared during his televised statement from the Élysée Palace. “All travel between non-European countries and the European Union will be off for 30 days.”

Macron had pressured for unilateral EU action to close its external borders to most foreign visitors, to stop the piecemeal national border closure by over a dozen European countries close over the past week.

“We are at war, a health war of course,” the President declared. “To protect ourselves and to stem the spread of this virus … this morning, as Europeans, we made a joint decision.”

What Will The Border Closure Mean?

All non-essential travel into the EU by most foreigners is ruled out. The restrictions will last for 30 days initially but may go beyond that, as the travel ban is renewable. Movement of people within the EU’s internal borders is still allowed.

The European Commission is proposing “fast lanes” giving the priority at the EU borders to essential transport, including the entry of those supporting medical facilities, or those vehicles delivering goods.

The ban is not a blanket one. Bolstered health checks will be carried out at the borders for those who are exempt.

Who’s Exempt

1. EU Citizens All citizens of the EU and Schengen states included in the ban, are exempt “for the purposes of returning to their homes.”

2. Permanent residents and family members of EU nationals

3. Doctors all other medical staff and coronavirus researchers

4. Diplomats

5. Cross-border workers are free to come and go.

6. Transit Passengers The travel ban does not apply to passengers in transit or those traveling for “imperative” family reasons.

7. UK nationals are exempt and can still travel to and fro.“UK citizens are European citizens,” Ms Von der Leyen said, “there are no restrictions for UK citizens to travel to the continent.”

For Tourists The EU Is Now Out Of Bounds

The Europe lockdown puts a new spin on Donald Trump’s travel ban on most foreigners coming to the US from Europe. “The vast majority of people intending to travel to the European Union for leisure will be denied entry,” reports the EU Observer. “Tourists from around the globe will be affected.”

The EU restrictions are intended to replace most of the internal borders that have shot back up over the past week, as countries decided individually to lockdown. This has created havoc for example for thousands of cross-border works who commute daily between Luxembourg and Germany, with even medical staff facing huge queues to get across. Now instead, external borders will be controlled, and tourists from non-European countries stopped.

This does not mean all the other national border blocks currently in place will be completely lifted–but they should become “more flexible” Ursula von der Leyen said in a press conference last night. “I think it will take quite a while until we see a total lifting of all the internal borders.”

So for now, travelers have to face the prospect of being turned back at both EU external and internal borders.

Which Countries Are Included In The EU Border Shutdown?

The travel ban includes all 27 members of the EU except Ireland. (Ireland is a member of the EU, but not of the border-free Schengen zone). The EU invited the UK and Ireland to join in the restriction measures. This is unlikely as the UK has declined to align with the border measures.

The no-go zone also includes 4 other countries that are part of the Schengen border-free zone, yet are not EU members: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. So it seems about 30 countries in Europe are now off-limits, for those entering from external borders. The EU refers to the countries concerned as “EU+”.

Though it did come into effect immediately, individual countries have been left to make the necessary actions in order to implement it at their own speed.

What If I Am Headed That Way?

If you have a non-essential trip coming up, you need to act immediately, by contacting your airline, tour companies etc. and making alternative plans. If the airline cancels flights, which is highly likely, then you should be in for a refund. Read Europe’s air passenger rights rules, which states that airlines should also offer alternative transport in such circumstances. Not all are however, faced with the deluge of requests they are getting amid all the global travel bans and restrictions.

Hundreds of travelers have found themselves stranded at the borders of several European countries over the past week, as they shut out tourists in the battle to curb the coronavirus spread.

The Australian government’s Smartraveller gives the example of the chaos that has ensued at the Czech border, with many tourists denied entry, after the country’s border came back up. Best to think ahead and avoid that scenario now if you are a foreign tourist, or have no pressing reason to travel.