Some EU countries are banning American travelers or enforcing quarantines - regardless of vaccination - as US virus cases climb

Tourists visit the Esplanade des Droits de l'Homme with the Eiffel tower in the background, in Paris on August 6, 2020.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images

• The EU removed the US from its list of countries from which travelers can enter without restrictions.
• Individual countries have responded with measures ranging from bans to tighter entry requirements.
• The restrictions come as the Delta variant continues to spread in the US.
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As the Delta variant continues to spread in the US, the European Union announced last week that it was removing the US from a list of countries whose citizens can travel to the bloc without restrictions.

Just two months after lifting travel restrictions on vaccinated Americans with a negative COVID-19 test, the EU once again advised its 27 member states to restrict all but essential travel from the US.

The announcement has led a number of European countries to announce individual restrictions on US travelers, which now vary from country to country, creating a patchwork of entry requirements for American travelers to negotiate.

Here is a rundown of new entry requirements announced in recent days, as detailed on the websites of US embassies in Europe:

• In Italy, fully vaccinated US visitors must take a COVID-19 test 72 hours before entering the country. Unvaccinated visitors must self-isolate for 5 days after arrival.
• The Netherlands has barred all unvaccinated US travelers from entering the country, and is requiring vaccinated US travelers to quarantine for ten days, though that can be reduced to five days if a COVID-19 test shows negative results.
• Bulgaria has one of the toughest restrictions, with any traveler coming from the US, regardless of nationality, now barred from entry.
• Sweden has banned all nonessential travel from the US regardless of vaccination status, removing the US from a list of "safe countries" of non-EU countries exempt from travel restrictions.
• Denmark has banned unvaccinated US travelers, while those who have been vaccinated will need to show a negative COVID-19 test to enter.
• Spain is also allowing only fully vaccinated travelers from the US to enter the country, and requiring a negative COVID-19 test. The US embassy in Spain added that travelers must also fill out a health certificate before their trip.

Some of the most popular European destinations for US travelers, including France, Portugal, and Greece, have not changed their entry rules for US residents.

This means that US travelers may enter the countries after producing a negative COVID-test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.

Germany had placed additional restrictions on US travelers ahead of the EU revising the US status on its list. Germany requires US travelers to be vaccinated or show through a PCR test that they had previously been infected and recovered, or to be quarantined for at least 5 days on entry.

Popular European travel destinations outside the EU have also imposed some restrictions on American travelers.

The UK requires US visitors to show a negative COVID-19 test, while Norway has banned US travelers apart from those proving they need to enter the country for family reasons.

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