UPDATED June 30, 10:33 a.m. ET: According to the New York Times, the European Union formalized its reopening, approving 15 countries for entry. The countries that have been approved include Australia, Canada and New Zealand, while travelers from China will be permitted if China reciprocates. Travelers from the United States, Brazil or Russia are still banned from entering.
See original story from 06/27/2020 below.
As countries across the European Union begin to open up from coronavirus quarantine, the EU is planning to bar most travelers from the United States.
As the New York Times reports, travelers from the U.S., Russia, and other countries hit hard by the pandemic are being considered too risky by E.U. officials. Plenty of travelers from other countries, including China, will still be able to fly to countries in the European Union when regular air travel resumes.
Senior diplomats in Brussels have compiled a list of safe countries amid negotiations on reopening procedures. E.U. ambassadors have backed the list, although it does need unanimous support from ambassadors if it's to go into effect. The United States currently has more confirmed cases and deaths as a result of the virus than any other country, and as a result, officials have made it clear that it's unlikely U.S. travelers will be able to fly into the region anytime soon.
Canada and Australia both made the safe list, which was compiled using scientific criteria including infection rates, and public health reporting data. The European Union is expected to update the list every two weeks, meaning that any excluded countries can be added later down the line. The official list is scheduled to be revealed next week, with officials speaking about the list at the moment on the condition of anonymity. It has been indicated that the United States has lobbied to be on the safe list, however, despite restrictions on travel from Europe to the U.S. having been in place since March.
"We’ll work closely with our European friends, broadly, because I know there’s different views," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday. "We’ve heard from a dozen or more countries that have very different views about their willingness to open up their borders to anyone, not only folks from the United States of America."
Countries heavily reliant on tourism, such as Spain, Italy, and Greece, have already prepared health screenings for travelers arriving at airports when reopening begins.
