
Audio By Carbonatix
The European Union plans to recommend that its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infection levels there, EU diplomats said Monday.
A decision to remove the U.S. from a safe list of countries for nonessential travel would reverse advice from June, when the bloc recommended lifting restrictions on U.S. travellers before the summer tourism season.
The guidance could come as early as this week, according to the EU diplomats. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the review process was still ongoing.
Any decision would be nonbinding, however. The EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism policy and national governments have the authority to decide whether they keep their borders open to U.S. tourists. Possible restrictions could include quarantines, further testing requirements upon arrival or even a total ban on all non-essential travel from the US.
The United States has yet to reopen its own borders to EU tourists, despite calls from the bloc for the Biden administration to lift its ban.
The European Council updates the list based on criteria relating to coronavirus infection levels. It gets reviewed every two weeks. The threshold for being on the EU list is having not more than 75 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days.
Last week in the U.S. new cases averaged over 152,000 a day, turning the clock back to the end of January, and the number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients was around 85,000, a number not seen since early February.
U.S. coronavirus deaths have been over 1,200 a day for several days, seven times higher than they were in early July.
Latest Stories
-
Edmond Boateng takes up secretary role at Honorary Consular Corps of Ghana
1 hour -
Gambia appoints British barrister to prosecute gruesome Jammeh-era crimes
2 hours -
Girl group Flo on entering into their ‘bombastic, confident, strong’ era
2 hours -
Germany suspends military approval for long stays abroad for men under 45
2 hours -
Liverpool face uphill Champions League task after PSG thrashing in Paris
2 hours -
‘Ketamine Queen’ sentenced to 15 years in Matthew Perry overdose death
2 hours -
Nigeria begins mass trial of 500 terrorism suspects
3 hours -
Atletico Madrid stun 10-man Barcelona to seize Champions League semi-final advantage
3 hours -
Black Stars coach to be announced by next week – Sports Minister
3 hours -
Chiefs, queen mothers and principal elders of Odau group denounce ‘rebellious Etweresohene’, pledges allegiance to Okyenhene
3 hours -
KNUST library dress code sparks online backlash over strict rules
3 hours -
Cultural Diplomacy in Action: Ghanaian youth leaders present symbolic smock to U.S. Chargé d’Affaires
3 hours -
Ghana Card payment activation under review – NIA breaks silence on financial integration
4 hours -
Ofori-Atta’s ICE release on bail positive; he poses no risk – Amanda Clinton
4 hours -
Ken Ofori-Atta’s passport seized after bail, set to reappear in US Court on April 27
4 hours