The world’s biggest tourist playground has been roped off since it became a coronavirus epicenter, but as summer looms Europe is desperate to lift restrictions to get visitors pumping much needed cash into stricken economies.

Across the continent, various nations currently sitting behind the firewall of quarantines or sealed frontiers, are figuring out how they can once again welcome holidaymakers.

Recently, the European Union unveiled an action plan to get its internal borders reopening, safely fire up its hospitality sector and to revive rail, road, air and sea connections that have been strangled during the pandemic.

It’s a situation eagerly anticipated by millions of would-be travelers, desperate to enjoy a slice of European sunshine and culture after weeks or months being sequestered at home under lockdown.

Europe accounts for 50 percent of the global tourism market in terms of arrivals and has been particularly hard hit by the restrictions. Normally crowded cities such as Venice, Rome, Paris and Barcelona have stood empty.

The EU currently has recommendations in place to all its member nations that they restrict all non-essential visitors from outside. But with infection rates dropping off in some countries, this looks set to change.

Some countries are already naming specific dates. Italy announced plans to reopen its internal borders next month, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that many internal EU border restrictions would be lifted by June 15.

There’s even talk of permitting special “green corridors” or “travel bubbles” that would allow certain countries with low or sharply declining infection rates to open up to a select few destinations until borders are fully reopened.

Those moves have been backed in the EU plan which proposes lifting restrictions between member states of “sufficiently similar epidemiological situations,” in other words, the same rate of coronavirus infection.

Visitors from outside the EU could still face an indeterminate wait though.

The EU’s plan also sets out a roadmap for developing health and safety protocols for beaches, hotels, campsites, B&Bs, cafes and restaurants to protect guests and employees, such as allowing people to book time slots at the gym or swimming pools in advance.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【使隔绝】 shǐ géjué sequester isolate or hide away

【不确定的】bú quèdìng de indeterminate not exactly known, established, or defined

自从欧洲成为新冠肺炎疫情中心后，这一全球最大旅游目的地的旅游业遭受重创。但随着夏季的临近，欧洲迫切希望解除限制，让受到疫情严重打击的经济体能从旅游消费中获得急需的资金。

在整个欧洲大陆，目前正执行隔离措施或封闭边界的各国都在考虑如何再次欢迎游客前来。

最近欧盟公布了一项行动计划，目的是重新开放欧盟内部边界，安全启动酒店业，恢复在疫情期间中断的铁路、公路、航空和海上交通。

数百万想要出门旅游的人热切期待这一天的到来。他们因封锁措施居家数周或数月之后，迫切地想要享受欧洲的阳光和文化。

就游客数量而言，欧洲占了全球旅游市场的50%，因此受封锁措施的影响尤为严重。威尼斯、罗马、巴黎和巴塞罗那等通常拥挤的城市如今空空荡荡。

欧盟目前建议所有成员国限制所有非必要的外来游客。但随着一些国家的感染率下降，这一建议看来要改变了。

有些国家已经在确定具体的解封日期。意大利宣布计划下个月重新开放国内边界，而德国总理安格拉·默克尔表示，欧盟内部的许多边境限制将在6月15日前解除。

甚至有人在讨论批准特殊的“绿色走廊”或“旅游安全泡泡”，允许感染率低或急剧下降的某些国家向少数几个目的地开放，直到边境完全重新开放。

这些举措得到了欧盟计划的支持，该计划提议解除“流行病学情况非常相似的”成员国，即新冠病毒感染率相同的成员国，之间的限制。

不过，来自欧盟以外的游客可能仍要等待，开放时间尚不能确定。

欧盟的计划还为海滩、酒店、露营地、民宿、咖啡馆和餐馆制定健康和安全规程制定了路线图，以保护客人和员工，比如允许人们分时段预定健身房或游泳池。

(chinadaily.com.cn)