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Pressure Mounts On EU Countries To Swap Quarantine For Testing
European aviation bodies are urging countries in the EU to replace quarantine measures with passenger testing ahead of the usually busy holiday season at the end of the year.
They argued that quarantines will prevent people from travelling to visit friends and families during winter.
Following their call to action together with the wider travel and tourism sectors in a letter to European Commission President von der Leyen on 17 September, aviation bodies ACI EUROPE, Airlines for Europe (A4E) and IATA have submitted a framework for how an EU-wide Testing Protocol for Travel (EU-TPT) could work.
In follow-up letters sent to the Commission President and heads of state, as well as health ministers across Europe, the industry associations set out their proposal for harmonised pre-departure testing from high-risk areas, describing the current situation of patchwork quarantine restrictions as “unsustainable”.
IATA figures show air traffic to, from and within Europe is down by 66.3% year to date. Latest figures from ACI EUROPE reveal that as of September 27th, passenger traffic in the EU had further plunged by 78%.
New research released by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) on the impact of COVID-19 restrictions suggests the collapse of air traffic could result in a 52% drop in employment supported by aviation in Europe, equating to the loss of around 7 million jobs.
“We need to learn to live – and travel – with the virus”, says the letter. “Re-establishing the free movement of people and air connectivity across our continent in a safe way must be a priority”.
The framework proposed that quarantines must be replaced by testing prior to departure, based on an EU testing protocol for travel which is consistently applicable for passengers travelling across borders from high risk areas in the EU/Schengen space and from third countries.
Public opinion research has established that 65% of travellers surveyed agree that quarantine should not be required for passengers who test negative for Covid-19.
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