Irish holidaymakers hoping to jet to Europe for some autumn sun have been given good news in the latest update from the bloc's infection diseases watchdog.
Thanks to the arrival of the EU Digital Green Certificate in July, thousands of tourists have been flying off by the planeload to Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy.
However, they are being advised to avoid so-called 'red zones' across the EU in holiday hotspots where the virus is rampant.
Every week, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) publishes new maps to support the EU Council's recommendation on travel measures across the bloc during the pandemic.
'Red' zones are areas where the 14-day incidence rate of coronavirus cases per 100,000 of the population is more than 200 but less than 500.
'Dark red' regions are where the 14-day incidence rate of cases per 100,000 of the population is 500 or more.
The good news is that the latest maps published by the ECDC for the weeks 35 to 36 this year show that several regions popular with Irish holidaymakers have drastically improved in terms of coronavirus incidence rates.
All areas in Portugal are now 'orange, which means incidence rates stand at between 75 and 200.
Additionally, nearly all regions in Italy are orange, with only two areas in the red.
The situation in Spain has also improved, despite much of the country being deemed a 'red zone'.
Three regions in Spain are 'orange' while one is 'green', meaning the incidence rates there are under 75 per 100,000 of the population.
It comes as the country is said to be entering a "new normality" phase, with many regions lifting restrictions or planning to remove them altogether in the coming weeks.
In neighbouring France, it is also a mixed bag with the regions ranging from 'dark red', to 'red' and 'orange'.
However, Greece is still struggling with its Covid-19 rates, with the entire country labelled by the ECDC as a 'red zone'.
The guidelines published by the European Commission state: "In view of the difficult epidemiological situation linked to more infectious coronavirus variants, Member States should strongly discourage all non-essential travel to and from ‘dark red’ and discourage all such travel to and from ‘red’ areas."
However, it is still legal for holidaymakers to travel to these countries from Ireland thanks to the Digital Covid Cert.
This document shows whether someone has been vaccinated against coronavirus, has recovered or recently tested negative.
