The Washington Post reports 7 places now admitting visitors who’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19. Not every place is welcoming everybody - Americans still can’t get into several of these, for example, and Iceland’s welcome isn’t in effect until May. Precautions are still necessary, too. Of course, policies can change, so this list isn’t definitive.
But it’s a start, vaccines being key:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2021/02/10/travel-restrictions-vaccine-georgia-europe/
When more Americans get vaccinated, perhaps the entire EU will open up later this year.
Those were both paywalled for me but this one should be clickable for everyone: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/country-by-country-guide-to-where-you-can-go-if-youre-vaccinated/.
It's interesting and I'm curious to see what other countries hop on board. I'm still holding tickets for May since Lufthansa has not cancelled my flights yet. I gave up on the trip awhile ago but, hey, maybe it will work out. We're both vaccinated so...
Thanks to you both for helping make the information accessible.
This thread title should read "Here's where you can't go". It seems like only 2 of the 7 listed are remotely accessible and good luck getting to them - Seychelles (~27-34 hours from East Coast via Turkish Air) and Georgia (~15-19 hour flight from East Coast via Turkish Air or Qatar Airlines). I didn't get the impression that Iceland is open after May, and The Points Guy article introduces more confusion: "You must be able to provide a proper vaccination certificate showing where, when and which vaccines were given. This must include the manufacturer and batch lot. Unfortunately this means that Iceland remains off limits to U.S. citizens."
I would not trust these types of articles/ blogs (they are click-bait essentially just to fill an otherwise empty travel section) but rather go straight to the official government websites for accurate information, which changes all the time.
This caveat from the article was worthwhile: "The risk associated with allowing vaccinated travelers, for now, is that they might carry a contagious amount of the virus without being sick — and could infect unvaccinated people in the destination they are visiting. Perhaps for that reason, some nations allowing vaccinated visitors are still requiring coronavirus tests before arrival"
My vaccination card has a place to record both the manufacturer and the lot number. I hope I never have to provide the alphanumeric lot number for my first vaccination to anyone, because it was hurriedly written by hand (not by me) and there are two characters I'm unsure of.
This thread title should read "Here's where you can't go". It seems
like only 2 of the 7 listed are remotely accessible and good luck
getting to them - Seychelles (~27-34 hours from East Coast via Turkish
Air) and Georgia (~15-19 hour flight from East Coast via Turkish Air
or Qatar Airlines).
This is where travel experience becomes useful. In either case you can stop over and visit Istanbul or Turkey in general. Makes for a great trip. My guess is the ticket wont cost you a penny more spending a few days in Turkey. Most of my flights to europe over the years have taken in the neighborhood of 17 to 19 hours. Maybe you guys with direct connections do better, but that's been my life.
Houston to Tbilisi is 21 hours through Istanbul, Chicago to Tbilisi is 19 hours through Istanbul and JFK to Tbilisi is 13 hours through Istanbul. Faster flights through other connections. I just picked a random date in April and went to Google Flights.
And for a list of places you can visit now (I mean when it is possible) with out a vaccine and with our with out a COVID test: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/what-is-open-in-europe-and-beyond
I think most of us would agree that May is on the optimistic side, depending on the country. The second half of the year is where it gets interesting.
To acraven’s point regarding documentation to record both vaccine manufacture, lot number & date of administration. Another reason for documentation is in case the vaccine is recalled. After administering vaccines for decades it is protocol. Thanks for sharing your experience. Helpful for others who might experience this.
BigMikeWestByGodVirginia, you are correct. Travel-to-Europe-Is-Currently-Not-Possible but might be by May of 2022.
To acraven’s point regarding documentation to record both vaccine
manufacture, lot number & date of administration. Another reason for
documentation is in case the vaccine is recalled.
Janis, I am trying to decide if I want to know if the vaccine I was given is recalled. I have a feeling they wouldn't recall it because it didn't work..... would have to be something worse...... hmmmmmmmmm My little CDC Vaccine card is no different than the ones described. Sort of barely legible scribbles. But they had no less than 25 stations set up and they were jabbing one person about every 45 seconds in each station..... Pretty amazing process.
James, yes most likely a vaccine would not be recalled "because it didn't work." That said another issue (rare) is reporting Vaccine adverse events. VAERS (The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) keeps track of approximately 30,000 reports filed each year by health care professionals, vaccine manufacturers, and members of the public. As a provider documentation is dictated by the CDC, Department of Health & FDA. I am required by law to record vaccine information. Personally, I want all the documented info recorded on my immunization card as well as my clients.
James E wrote: 'This is where travel experience becomes useful. In either case you can stop over and visit Istanbul or Turkey in general. Makes for a great trip. My guess is the ticket wont cost you a penny more spending a few days in Turkey."
Since this thread is about where you can travel after you've been vaccinated, your comment doesn't play out. You can't visit Turkey now.
Since this thread is about where you can travel after you've been
vaccinated, your comment doesn't play out. You can't visit Turkey now.
Bdokeefe, you certainly can visit Turkey "after you've been vaccinated", now, today. Of course, before leaving or at the airport you will have to take a COVID test too......
AND: even if the host country did not require a COVID test to get in, the US does if you wish to return, so the Vaccine isn't a magic ticket.
But does it matter, because Travel-to-Europe-is-not-possible-this-year.
AND
All the RS COVID experts say that even vaccinated you can still transmit the virus. If that is true, then why would a vaccine passport ever be worth anything? Seems to me the host country would want the COVID test, not the vaccine proof.
All the RS COVID experts say that even vaccinated you can still transmit the virus. If that is true, then why would a vaccine passport ever be worth anything?
Yes real public health experts have been saying all along that testing on vaccines did not look at transmissibility. I heard Dr Fauci himself addressing this on a Zoom conference this week (sorry no link): he said that virus could still be present in the nose and throat of vaccinated people so that it could be transmitted. Thats why he and the rest of the public health folks been saying for awhile that people will still need to mask-up and distance after vaccinating. We wont know impact on transmission until there's months of real world data.
He also said that we don't know how long the vaccines are effective, "at least six months and hopefully longer", so the need for regular booster shots (like the flu) are a possible future. That's something that would need to be known if "passports" would make sense. The passport thing sounds like a logical idea to the press, public, businesses, and politicians (even in other countries), so they've been assuming that as a given. But the public health folks haven't been supportive. They've been saying making testing more available (like the new home test) is a better tool. Public health folks have the luxury of focusing on keeping people healthy, not opening up tourism as quickly as possible. Too much we just dont know yet.
Vaccinated people MAY transmit the virus, that is not known yet. However, it would be at a much lower level. Their viral load is reduced - that much is known, so less virus in their system means less transmission. Also less time - the vaccine clears the virus.
So a vaccine passport would show that the traveler is a low but not zero risk of transmission. Is that good enough? Up to the country to determine economic benefits of allowing travel vs. the lower risk of vaccinated transmission.
My guess is as countries increase their own vaccinated population they will be more willing to allow vaccinated travelers and less willing to allow unvaccinated ones. But that’s a complete guess, it would be up to the countries own risk-benefit analysys.
This article is on Pfizer. Moderna is a very, very similar vaccine so I’d expect the same. I don’t know about others - meaning I literally do not know, have not looked one way or the other.
James - a vaccine passport would show the host country that you will not end up in their hospital, further burdening their system; a negative test would not show this
James - a vaccine passport would show the host country that you will
not end up in their hospital, further burdening their system; a
negative test would not show this
But the vaccine isn't 100% and then there are all the variants; and I am sort of clumsy and fall down stairs a lot. Shouldn't we just wait until its 101% safe to leave our lockdowns?
I sort of like Mira's answer.....
