UK Budget Backpacker Tours. Backpacker Travel News

It’s still too early to say, these are unprecedented circumstances and there is still so much we don’t know about COVID-19 infection and immunity. There is a risk that opening too soon could lead to further outbreaks, and infection clusters. Governments will err on the side of caution. Health and safety will rule all decisions. Social distancing will be observed in almost every part of the travel experience; many bars, restaurants and cultural sites will remain closed this summer, and pre-flight medical testing may be introduced. There’s even talk of introducing a bloc-wide “Covid-19 passport“, a type of medical certificate to confirm the holder’s health status, though details are still being worked out and it’s not a sure-thing. That’s because there is still no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 are immune from a second infection.

For now, cross-border operations within the EU are minimal. On 17 March, officials called on member states to keep external borders shut until mid-May, ruling out all but essential travel from outside the bloc into 26 nations, plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. An official opening date hasn’t been announced, and French president Emanuel Macron hinted last week that EU borders could remain closed until September.

However, some EU countries that have managed to keep the virus reproduction rate low are starting to test the waters. Below is a list of who’s doing what and when. Though these are just proposals and they could be retracted at any time. It’s important to check the most up-to-date government advice before making any decisions regarding travel. It’s likely that staycations will be the order of the day for summer 2020.

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