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Internal borders within the European Union, which were abruptly shut during the early stages of the Coronavirus crisis, are reopening today. At the Belgian-French border, which is normally as invisible as the border between two U.S. states, people are celebrating their ability to once again leave their country.
Although uncertainties remain for Sweden and the U.K., which is still part of the EU legal structure until a Brexit transition period ends this year, the European Commission says that all of the EU’s internal borders will be back open by the end of this month. But things aren’t as simple as they might seem, because countries can still ban flights from specific airports within the EU, even if technically their borders are open to that country.
The Commission is desperate to save the EU’s tourism sector, which accounts for 10% of its economic output, so they are encouraging people to take summer vacations. But they acknowledge that there are still many uncertainties about where and when people can travel. So today they have launched a website and smartphone app called “Re-open EU”, which will provide up-to-the-minute information about travel restrictions and public health measures. The idea is that people thinking about taking vacations can use the app to determine whether it is possible and/or desirable to go.
The app will tell people whether the destination is accepting flights from your airport, whether public transport is running there, whether facemasks are required everywhere, how many people you can meet there and whether tourist sites and museums are open. Probably most of interest to travellers will be the update on whether restaurants, bars, clubs and beaches are open. The information will be in all 23 official EU languages, saving travellers the hassle of trying to translate national tourism office web sites.
The app will also tell people the latest health information, so they know what kind of risk of infection they may be taking with their vacation. It allows users to indicate the level of risk they are willing to accept, and then take a decision about where to go.
