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A growing number of nations – and one state – are coming up with rules that encourage or require travelers to get a booster vaccine, Forbes reported.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige says visitors who’ve received a third vaccine dose will be able to bypass a five-day quarantine without showing a pre-travel negative test, Forbes reported. Ige said the change will be announced soon.
Currently, Hawaii says people who are fully vaccinated – having two doses of mRNA vaccines or one dose of another vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson – can bypass the quarantine without the pre-travel test.
The European Commission decided last month that travelers who became fully vaccinated more than nine months before traveling to Europe cannot move between EU countries without showing proof of a booster shot. The change goes into effect Feb. 1.
“The EU Digital COVID certificate has become a global standard. By reflecting the latest scientific insights on boosters, the certificate remains an essential tool to combat the different waves of the pandemic,” the Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said in an EU news release.
Some EU nations are already tweaking their own rules about vaccinations.
In France, visitors don’t need a booster to enter the country, but to receive a French vaccine pass, which is required to dine in restaurants or visit attractions, visitors must prove they were boosted within seven months of being fully vaccinated. That window shrinks to four months on Feb. 14, Forbes said.
In the Netherlands, boosted travelers can avoid a 10-day quarantine when they arrive, effective Feb. 2. If people from the United States are fully vaccinated, they still must quarantine for 10 days unless they can show a negative test result on the fifth day or have an exemption. Unvaccinated travelers also must quarantine 10 days.
In Spain, visitors from the United States will need to show proof of a booster shot 14 days before arriving, Forbes said.
In Israel, visitors cannot enter indoor venues if more than six months have passed since they received their second dose of mRNA vaccine or they recovered from COVID.
Forbes said some cruise lines are going to require passengers to show proof of a booster shot. Viking Cruises will start the policy Feb. 1 and Silversea Cruises, Azamara and Lindblad Expeditions will start March 1. Alaska specialist UnCruise Adventures will require boosters starting Feb. 5.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection say only 41.5% of vaccinated Americans have been boosted.
Sources
Forbes. “No Booster, No Travel? More Trips Will Require Third Shot Beginning In February”
EU Digital COVID Certificate: “Commission adopts binding acceptance period of nine months for vaccination certificates”
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Vaccine Tracker”
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