Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic

However, because they were implemented after community transmission had begun in several countries around the globe, they produced only a modest reduction in the total number of infections.

[6] A study in Science found that travel restrictions could delay the initial arrival of COVID-19 in a country but had only modest overall effects unless combined with infection prevention and control measures to significantly reduce transmission.

[11] During the pandemic, "slow travel" grew in popularity as tourists opted to avoid crowded destinations, instead taking their time to explore less well-known locations.

[12][13] A possible long-term impact has been a decline of business travel and international conferencing, and the rise of their virtual, online equivalents.

[86][87] After some EU member states announced complete closure of their national borders to foreign nationals in March 2020,[88] the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that "Certain controls may be justified, but general travel bans are not seen as being the most effective by the World Health Organization.

The agreement was to close borders for 30 days starting at noon on 17 March, though enforcement did not begin immediately as planned.

The European Council had adopted a Recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU on 30 June.

As of 16 December 2020, the Safe Countries list included Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.

The European Council suggested member states to gradually remove restrictions for China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.