Omicron Divides Europe Over Plan to Simplify Travel Rules
- Nations split on test requirement for returning EU citizens
- Italy mandates tests for all EU visitors starting Thursday
This article is for subscribers only.
The omicron variant of Covid-19 is scrambling the European Union’s plans to simplify its travel rules, particularly as some countries move ahead with new unilateral restrictions.
EU governments are split over a plan to shift the rules to base them on a person’s vaccination status rather than on case levels in a particular country, with some countries asking for a delay to better understand the impact of the new variant, according to an diplomat familiar with talks. One of the EU’s largest members suggested pushing off discussions until January, the official said.