SINGAPORE - European Union (EU) members are easing curbs in preparation for the peak tourist season this summer, but concerns are growing that the contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus could wreak havoc across the continent, especially among the unvaccinated.
The EU is set to launch a digital green certificate on Thursday (July 1) which will allow for free travel within the 27-member bloc if the holder is either fully vaccinated against Covid-19, has immunity by recovering or recently tested negative for the disease.
This comes as the EU on June 18 added the United States to a white list of countries from which non-essential travel is allowed. The list includes Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Albania and Serbia.
A new and slightly changed version of the Delta coronavirus variant is spreading in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, United States and India, health officials say.
This strain, which has generated a significant amount of global media attention, is called B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1 Delta Plus for short, and is a version of the Delta variant first detected in India in February.
It was first reported by Public Health England, a government health agency, on June 11. But the UK s first few cases had been sequenced on April 26 suggesting the variant may have been present and spreading by the spring.
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