EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said there is “an
obvious risk that differing approaches between countries could endanger
confidence in the COVID certificate system, and harm free movement in the
Union,” The bloc relies on free movement of people and goods for business and
travel to flourish.
The World Health Organization says coronavirus infections
jumped 11% in Europe in the last week, the only region in the world where
COVID-19 continues to rise. The WHO’s Europe director, Dr. Hans Kluge, warned
that without urgent measures, the continent could see another 700,000 deaths by
the spring.
Many countries have begun tightening rules on people who are
not vaccinated to try to encourage them to get shots to better halt the spread
of the virus. Austria even plans to make vaccines obligatory from next
February.
As winter closes in and coronavirus restrictions are ramped
up, tens of thousands of people have rallied around Europe in recent weeks in
protest against the tightening of measures and against the requirement for
COVID-19 certificates.
The EU’s COVID pass contains proof that the holder has either
been vaccinated, has in the past recovered from the disease, or has recently
tested negative.
But some German states are now demanding proof of
vaccination and daily negative tests. From next month, Italy will require proof
of vaccination or having recovered to access a host of free-time activities
over the holiday season. Tests will no longer be enough.
“Holders of (an) EU certificate should, in principle, not be
subject to additional restrictions, wherever they come from in the European
Union. Restrictions such as additional tests or quarantine, for instance,”
Reynders, the justice commissioner, told reporters.
The commission, the EU’s executive branch, says scientific
evidence shows that vaccine immunity begins to diminish after about 6 months. But
it’s recommending that certificates should continue to be accepted as valid for
9 months after the first shot.
Some countries want booster shots to be mandatory for the
certificates to be valid. France, for example, wants to require them on
certificates for people over 65, while neighboring Belgium does not think it’s
necessary yet.
“The commission is not proposing any period of validity for
boosters at the moment,” Reynders said.
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