British nationals planning to travel to any of the European Union Member States after January 1 for purposes that are not absolutely essential, risk being banned from entering these countries amid the Coronavirus pandemic, Schengen Visa Info News has reported.
According to the news report, the EU is yet to come up with an official decision as to where the UK will fit as it joins the group of countries that are considered as ‘third-countries’ to the EU alongside the ongoing high number of Coronavirus cases in the UK. The two factors mean that the chances are high that Britain will be listed among the countries to which “the EU has sealed off its borders since mid-March 2020”, said the report.
“The current Council recommendation on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of such restriction is applicable to the United Kingdom during the transition period established until December 31, 2020, on the basis of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community,” a Commission spokesperson said.
At the time of writing, EU member states had applied a complete shutdown of the external borders, permitting entry only for travellers from a selected number of third-countries according to the recommendation of the EU Council. For now, travellers from the UK can enter the majority of the Member States, though in the majority of them they have to go through quarantine or test upon arrival.
Things could drastically change come December 31, when the UK becomes a third country to the EU, placing it among countries to which the EU entry ban is applied including the US, Albania and Turkey, according to the news report.
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