Starting today, the horizons for Swedes eager for a vacation are broadening. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' advice against so-called non-essential travel no longer applies to ten European countries.

The countries are Belgium, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain. The lifted advice concerns visitor and tourist travel.

The day after the announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the week before last, pressure on tour operators' booking sites increased significantly. Popular holiday countries such as France, Greece, Italy and Spain are attracting tourists, despite more complicated rules of conduct during the trip and varying degrees of restrictions at the destinations.

For the travel industry, one of the big losers from the pandemic, the travel relief at least means some light in an otherwise dense darkness.

But apart from the ten countries that have now been given the green light, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' advice for other countries within the EU, EEA and Schengen area remains in effect until July 15. The advice therefore continues to apply to Sweden's neighboring countries. And the advice for countries outside Europe has been extended until August 31.

However, an advice against non-essential travel is not the same as a ban. It is up to the traveler to decide about their travel. It is important to know that most insurance companies, with some exceptions, exclude travel coverage from home insurance as long as there is an advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Even for trips to the ten "released" countries, the insurance situation should be taken into account. For a viral disease such as COVID-19, it is generally required that you have been symptom-free for the past three months for home insurance travel coverage to apply, according to Gabriella Hallberg, a lawyer at Konsumenternas försäkringsbyrå.

”"You are not allowed to travel with an ongoing illness or ongoing care needs," she says.

Source: TT