Destinations that lift restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers

(CNN) – As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the travel industry, countless destinations around the world are distributing vaccines to their most vulnerable citizens.

Meanwhile, Denmark has announced plans to launch a digital coronavirus passport by the end of February, which will serve as documentation that the holder has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

While it is important to note that Covid’s main vaccines are about 95% effective, which means that vaccinated individuals can still become infected and spread the virus to others, there is no doubt that these successful implementations are a step in right direction.

As a result, several destinations are choosing to either discard border restrictions for travelers who have been fully vaccinated or significantly facilitate them.

From Cyprus to the Seychelles, here are seven destinations that reopen to tourists who received the Covid-19 vaccine.

Cyprus

Late last year, a Cyprus official revealed plans to lift restrictions on vaccinated travelers.

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In December, Cyprus became the first destination to announce plans to allow travelers who had been fully vaccinated to enter without having to be quarantined.

In addition, visitors who provide proof that they received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine will be allowed to visit them without providing a negative PCR test result on arrival.

This will likely apply only to arrivals from destinations on the country’s safe travel list, which is updated regularly. However, Cyprus recently entered into an agreement with Israel that allows vaccinated travelers to travel between countries without restrictions.

“The amended action plan is expected to further increase airlines’ interest in taking additional flights to Cyprus, improving connectivity and increasing passenger traffic,” Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos told the Cyprus Mail newspaper when the plan was announced last year.

Although it was previously claimed that the new rules would take effect on March 1, this has not yet been confirmed by government officials.

Currently, travelers who are allowed to visit Cyprus have the option of providing a negative PCR test done 72 hours before travel or taking a test on arrival.

They must then be quarantined for two weeks in government-designated accommodation. The isolation period may be slightly shortened if travelers pass a molecular test on the tenth day of quarantine on their own and receive a negative result.

Estonia

EU travelers who arrive in Estonia and are fully vaccinated do not need to be quarantined.

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Estonia has not only removed mandatory quarantine requirements for EU travelers, it has also abandoned them for those with evidence proving that they have recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months.

The European country is also accepting vaccines from nine suppliers worldwide, rather than just Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca, the three of which have been approved by the European Union.

Only vaccination certificates produced in Estonian, Russian or English will be recognized and visitors who have already had Covid must present a medical certificate, as well as a recent PCR test indicating that they are no longer infected with the virus.

“This is mutual solidarity. If we take into account vaccines in use in other countries, we can expect that vaccines in use in our country will also be taken into account in other countries, ”said Hanna Sepp, head of the country’s Department of Infectious Diseases. Department of Epidemic Surveillance and Control, told Estonian television organization ERR News.

Estonia currently has a mandatory 10-day quarantine in place for arrivals, with exceptions for European countries considered to be low risk, such as Bulgaria, Iceland and Norway, as well as evidence of a negative PCR test obtained within three days of arrival. Those arriving from the UK must also have a negative PCR test done 72 hours before arrival.

Georgia

Visitors who provide evidence that they are fully vaccinated will be exempt from quarantine in Georgia.

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Georgia, which sits at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, has also opted to lift restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers.

Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced that all visitors who received two doses of any Covid-19 vaccine are allowed to enter the country without producing a negative PCR test.

“Citizens of all countries traveling by plane from any country can enter Georgia if they present the document confirming the full course (two doses) of any vaccination against Covid-19 at Georgia’s border control posts,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Georgia Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Unvaccinated travelers must have a negative PCR test obtained 72 hours prior to travel and must also take a second test “at their own expense” on the third day of their stay.

Those who traveled to the UK within 14 days of their visit must undergo a mandatory 12-day quarantine at the entrance.

Iceland

In May, Iceland is scrapping border restrictions for those who received a full cycle of the Covid vaccine.

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As of May 1, fully vaccinated travelers from European Union countries, as well as Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, can skip quarantine when they arrive in Iceland and will not be required to submit a negative PCR test.

Visitors who are able to provide a paper vaccine in Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish or English, proving they have received two doses of one of the three main Covid-19 vaccines, will be exempt from border restrictions.

However, those who submit an “invalid” document will have to “pass double tests with quarantine in the middle”, according to the Icelandic Health Directory.

The popular destination also plans to issue digital “vaccination certificates” to Icelandic citizens who have been vaccinated “to facilitate the movement of people between countries”.

Unvaccinated arrivals from destinations where travel to Iceland is permitted must undergo a Covid test on arrival, before being quarantined for five to six days and undergoing a second test.

Exemptions will be made in some circumstances, such as those with a valid medical reason.

Poland

Horse carriages are located near the Cloth Hall building in Krakow's old city center on February 5, 2020.

Poland has allowed travelers to enter without quarantining since December 28.

LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP via Getty Images

Travelers from EU countries can visit Poland without going through the mandatory 10-day quarantine “based on a certificate confirming vaccination against Covid-19.”

Those who present a negative SARS-CoV-2 test on arrival are also exempt, as long as there is no more than 48 hours between the time they receive the test result and the time they cross the border.

Romania

Fully vaccinated visitors arriving in Romania can also avoid quarantine.

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All travelers arriving in Romania from permitted destinations that have been fully vaccinated from Covid are exempt from quarantine on arrival since 18 January.

The new rules were announced by the National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) in the European country, which stipulated that returning visitors and residents must provide evidence that they received two doses of the vaccine to avoid mandatory isolation.

The second dose must be administered at least 10 days before arrival.

“Proof of vaccination, including the date on which the second dose was administered, must be made by means of a document issued by the health unit that administered it, whether in Romania or abroad,” said the CNSU in a note.

Currently, travelers arriving from Romania’s “yellow list” countries, made up of high epidemiological risk destinations, are required to be quarantined for 14 days.

Those who submit a PCR done at least 72 hours before entry must be quarantined for 10 days.

The Seychelles

A photo taken on November 21, 2019 shows a hawksbill turtle nesting beach on Cousin Island, a nature reserve island run by Nature Seychelles, a national environmental NGO, Seychelles

Vaccinated travelers can visit the Seychelles without having to isolate themselves, but they still need to have a negative PCR test.

Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP via Getty Images

Fully vaccinated visitors are now allowed to enter the remote destination off the coast of Tanzania without having to be quarantined for 10 days.

However, those who received a full course of any Covid-19 vaccine still need to submit a negative PCR test result done within 72 hours of the trip, as well as a certificate from their national health authority confirming that they have been fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated travelers on the Seychelles category 1 and 2 list and those arriving in private jets must isolate themselves for 10 days and provide a negative PCR result obtained within 72 hours of arrival.

The 115-island nation aims to become the first nation to vaccinate its entire population after receiving a donation of 50,000 doses from the government of the United Arab Emirates.

President Wavel Ramkalawan expects more than 70% to be vaccinated by mid-March. Restrictions will be further relaxed if this goal is achieved, meaning that those allowed to enter the Seychelles will only have to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test done 72 hours before their trip.

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