People hoping to travel to the European Union next year will have to get a booster jab once their original Covid vaccines are more than nine months old, under new proposals from Brussels.
On Thursday, the European Commission proposed a nine-month limit for vaccine validity that would apply for travel within and to the EU.
If the plans are approved by EU ministers, from 10 January 2022 non-EU travellers will be required to show proof of an EU-approved booster jab once their original vaccine status is more than nine months old. Similarly, travellers between the member states would have to meet the same requirement to avoid Covid tests, quarantine and other restrictions.
The Commission hopes to avoid a confusing mixture of rules across the 27 member states, as governments scramble to tighten restrictions on everyday life following a surge in coronavirus infections.
The plans were unveiled on Thursday as the European Medicines Agency approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged five to 11, opening the way for governments to extend vaccination campaigns.
The EU regulator recommended two injections three weeks apart in the upper arm for primary-school children, at one-third of the adult dose.
The latest EU proposals prioritise vaccinated people, as Brussels moves to classify travellers according to individual health and vaccine status, rather than their country of departure.
From 1 March 2022, EU member states would only permit entry to vaccinated, recovered or essential travellers, such as lorry drivers. The current system, under which countries are added and removed from a safe list, will be dropped, a change officials think offers more certainty.
The recommendation to make booster jabs necessary after nine months for non-EU non-essential travellers is part scientific advice, part practical policy. Immunity wanes after six months, but EU officials added an extra three to allow governments to get booster-shot programmes up and running.
The EU executive also wants to allow entry for travellers with non-EU approved vaccines that are recognised by the World Health Organization.