Americans will remain excluded from European travel

Travelers from a list of 15 nations will be able to join the European Union starting Wednesday, but the United States is not on the list.

Thirty countries in Europe (26 of which are EU members) closed their external borders in March to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. As the majority reopen their economies, they are also beginning to receive outside visitors, albeit at a much slower rate than before the pandemic.

European Union governments decided on Tuesday to open their external borders to Algeria, Tunisia, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand and Uruguay. Chinese travelers will also be able to enter the EU, but only if China announces that it will also accept European visitors.

The decision was made based on the health situation of the countries of origin and will be reviewed periodically.

However, it is not binding, which means that EU Member States can reopen its borders to any countries that want The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has insisted that external borders must be reopened in a coordinated way to avoid any chaos in travel, but ultimately It is a national decision.

The United States currently has the highest number of coronavirus infections, nearly 2.6 million, in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has set records for new daily infections in recent days as outbreaks increase mainly in the south and west. Dr. Anne Schuchat, deputy chief director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that the virus is spreading too quickly and widely for the United States to control.

In March, President Donald Trump suspended travel from Europe to the United States. At the time, the EU criticized the decision for being taken “unilaterally and without consultation.”

—CNBC William Feuer contributed to this article.