The European Union (EU) has added Macau to an updated list of places where travel restrictions should gradually be lifted, paving the way for the special administrative region's residents to be able to visit EU countries.
Under the EU recommendation, all travellers from places on the list should be allowed to travel to the EU.
In a statement yesterday, the EU said the bloc's 27 member states should gradually ease restrictions on non-essential travel for passengers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, without requiring the three territories to reciprocate.
Mainland China, meanwhile, is also on the exemption list, though its inclusion is subject to “confirmation of reciprocity”, meaning that Beijing would also have to ease restrictions for EU citizens.
New additions to the list include the United States.
The EU reviews the list every two weeks, taking into account factors such as the pandemic situation in the country or territory in question, and their vaccination progress.
Brussels' recommendation is not legally binding on its member states, which maintain their own individual rules on admission.
For example in France, a popular destination for Macau residents, vaccinated travellers from the special administrative region are only required to produce a negative nucleic acid test (NAT) before departure.
Unvaccinated travellers must have an urgent reason for enter the country. They also have to take a COVID test on arrival and self-isolate for a week after arriving in France.
In Italy, all travellers from outside the EU may only enter for specific reasons which do not include tourism. They have to test negative for COVID-19 before arrival and self-isolate for 10 days, before taking another test.
Macau has barred all foreign nationals without a residency or work permit from entering the city since March last year.
Macau has confirmed 53 COVID-19 cases since January 22, 2020, with zero fatalities.
– RTHK, MPD
