In times of pandemic, the first indication to travel abroad is always to obtain complete information on the updated requirements established by each country. Some situations contemplated a few months or even a few weeks ago, may have varied. More than one traveler has already been stranded at the boarding gate for not meeting all the criteria. The complete vaccination schedule is, in general, one of the essential requirements that cannot be replaced by a single dose and having passed the covid. They are also excluded from people who, for reasons beyond their control, are exceptions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains updated information by country on travel requirements. Although in Europe the covid certificate has been operating since last July as a common document to allow the free movement of travelers, it is necessary to go to the most up-to-date information. For example, in Austria new restrictions have just come into force that include a general lockdown that will not be lifted before December 3 and that can last until December 20.
Austria will expand in a few weeks the criteria for a complete schedule of vaccines and will require a new booster dose
In Austria, as of December 6, the validity of the vaccination certificate will be 9 months after the second dose was obtained. From that 270-day limit, a third booster dose will be required (a second dose in the case of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine. The certificate of having recovered from the covid becomes valid for a maximum of 6 months After that date, you must have a complete vaccination schedule.
As evidenced by the new Austrian restrictions, the traveler must have up-to-date information about the country of destination so as not to get a bitter surprise, because these start to happen relatively frequently. The EU COVID Digital Certificate is accepted in all Member States of the European Union, which states that “Member States must refrain from imposing additional travel restrictions on holders” of that certificate “unless they are necessary and proportionate to safeguard public health ”. And that is an exception that can leave the passenger on the ground.
A mobile with the covid pass in Denmark
Travelers should bear in mind that the criterion in Spain that having a dose of the vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) and having passed the COVID is equivalent to a complete schedule may not be valid in other countries. The Efe agency collected this weekend the testimony of passengers who could not reach their destination because they did not have updated information.
One of them, Francisco, flew from Madrid to Barcelona on November 8 to connect with a flight to New York, but was stopped at the boarding gate. “I passed the covid and had a dose of the vaccine. They told me that the United States required the complete guideline,” he explained. than to return to Madrid paying for it out of pocket ”.
Efe also included the experience of a couple who had to go on a cruise to the Caribbean. They stayed in port without boarding, because the woman only had one dose. He fell ill in February and when they booked the trip between May and June the requirements were complete guidelines or CRP. “In none of the emails that the company sent us did they specify that they were two vaccines out of two,” the woman explained. “They didn’t even give me the option of going and not getting off at a port. And my husband was not allowed to board either ”.
To travel, it is essential to consult the Foreign Ministry website or the page of the country you intend to visit until a short time before departure in case there are changes
The full schedule is now two vaccines out of two in the case of Pfizer and Moderna, but as Austria’s criteria point out, that may vary in the coming months with the requirement of a booster dose. Checking the requirements on the websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and those of the destination countries should be done not only when planning the trip, but until very shortly before the departure date. In case of needing a dose of the vaccine, the general criterion of the communities is, now, to apply it to the people who need it, so it is necessary to contact the health services and request it.
Another type of exceptions, still unresolved, are those of people who have received a dose of Pfizer and Moderna and who, after suffering a serious adverse reaction, have no longer been able to be vaccinated with a new dose. In that case, they have a European vaccination certificate with the corresponding QR code, but they do not have the complete guideline. Here the problem is pending solution. The European certificate does not allow them to travel, for example, to countries such as the United States, where travelers from Europe are currently required both the covid passport and a negative PCR test.
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