EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO PROPOSE NO-QUARANTINE TRAVEL SYSTEM - RYANAIR

 Cyprus Mail 14 September 2020 - by Reuters News Service

Ryanair expects the European Commission this week to unveil a new system of COVID-19 travel advice that will open up most regions of the continent to travel without quarantine, Chief Executive Eddie Wilson said on Monday.

The European Commission earlier this month proposed a common traffic light system for EU member states to coordinate border controls and remedy the current, confusing patchwork of coronavirus restrictions on travellers across Europe.

“I think you’ll see the vast majority of Europe and UK returned into a green zone and then it’ll be up to the individual health authorities to follow up on track and tracing them,” Wilson told Ireland’s RTE radio.

The EU Commission, in a Proposal for a Council Recommendation released on 4 September, will publish a map of EU and EEA countries, updated weekly, with a common colour code to support Member States and travellers. (this was previous to the proposal above for a “common traffic light system”).

The Commission proposes the following:

• Green for an area where the total number of newly notified COVID-19 cases is less than 25 during a 14-day period and the percentage of positive tests from all COVID-19 tests is less than 3 per cent;
• Orange for an area where the total number of newly notified COVID-19 cases is less than 50 during a 14-day period but the percentage of positive tests from all COVID-19 tests is 3 per cent or more or the total number of newly notified COVID-19 cases is between 25 and 150 but the percentage of positive tests from all COVID-19 tests is less than 3 per cent;
• Red for an area where the total number of newly notified COVID-19 cases is more than 50 during a 14-day period and the percentage of positive tests from all COVID-19 tests is 3 per cent or more or the total number of newly notified COVID-19 cases is more than 150 per 100 000 people during a 14-day period;
• Grey if there is insufficient information available to assess the criteria proposed by the Commission or the number of COVID-19 tests carried out per 100 000 people is less than 250.