EU in talks with third countries on mutual recognition of COVID travel certificates

Flags of the European Union fly outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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BRUSSELS -- The European Commission is engaged in negotiations with third countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, on the mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said here on Monday.

At a press conference following a meeting for the justice ministers of the European Union (EU) member states, Reynders said that since the U.S. does not intend to issue a federal vaccination "passport," "we have to think about other kinds of proof for vaccination or recovery or tests, but it must be possible to solve the issue."

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NEW YORK -- New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday said that most of existing COVID-19 restrictions in the state would be lifted once 70 percent of New Yorkers receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Industry specific guidelines covering capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing will become optional for retail, food services, offices, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and personal care services, among other commercial settings, according to Cuomo.

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GENEVA -- The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Monday of the danger of buying overpriced vaccines from intermediaries, reminding that countries should buy vaccines certified by the WHO and make sure to identify the origin of the product.

"We have received concerns regarding other vaccines... with intermediates selling it (one vaccine) at a much higher price than what has been actually sold by the manufacturers," said Mariangela Batista Galvao Simao, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, during a press conference.

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ROME -- Italy on Monday further relaxed COVID-19 restrictions in certain parts of the country based on a decree issued by the Health Ministry on Saturday.

Seven out of Italy's 20 regions are now "white" zones, the lowest in the country's four-tier color-coded system of restrictions.

The "white" zones are northern Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, central Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise and Sardinia.

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NICOSIA -- As of Tuesday, Cyprus will issue a temporary COVID-19 vaccination certificate to those of its citizens who wish to travel abroad, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The certificate will be valid for the month of June as the new European Digital COVID Certificate is scheduled to be introduced on July 1.

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KAMPALA -- Uganda's Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo on Monday suspended court sessions for 42 days as the country works on scaling down the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Owiny-Dollo in a statement issued said all court hearings and appearances are suspended immediately. He added that executions of proceedings and processes are suspended for the same period.

He noted that only urgent matters would be heard during the period.

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YANGON -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has risen to 144,456 on Monday after 139 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Two new deaths were reported on Monday, bringing the death toll to 3,227 in the country, the release said.