Italy and Germany tightened the rules for EU travel on Tuesday as the bloc is hit by a deadly third wave of COVID-19.
Italy plans to introduce a five-day quarantine for all travelers arriving from European Union countries, health ministry sources said on Tuesday.
Travelers will also be required to take a coronavirus test before leaving the country and a further test after their quarantine period is over.
Italy already had similar measures in place for non-EU countries.
Meanwhile, Germany announced on Tuesday that it would tighten land border controls for the next 8 to 14 days.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, Poland, France, or Denmark, everyone should expect to be checked,” said Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
The new travel restrictions come as Europe is hard-hit by a deadly third wave of coronavirus fuelled by a surge of a more contagious British variant.
WHO Europe reported 1,648,346 new coronavirus cases and 23,820 death over the past 7 days.
The surge of new coronavirus variants in Europe has again put the Schengen free movement area under pressure in recent months, with several EU countries moving to reinstate border checks and travel restrictions.
