Amid a surge in coronavirus infections in some parts of the world, the EU has been working with member countries to agree on which travelers could be considered safe to visit the block from July 1. The orientation will be based on how the countries of origin are doing. with the coronavirus pandemic.
“The criteria will focus on the circulation of the virus,” said an EU diplomat, adding that Brussels is trying to keep travelers away from countries “where the virus is most actively circulating.”
However, the recommendations made by the Commission are not binding. Only an individual country can make the decision to open and close a border.
When asked if the US USA They were on a list of countries of origin that could be banned from traveling to Europe, an EU diplomat directed CNN to the first point of a June 11 checklist published by the European Commission on what to consider when allowing travelers to enter to the EU.
The first item on the checklist asks whether the country can be “considered to be in a comparable or better epidemiological situation as the average in the EU + area” with respect to the number of new infections, the trend of new infections and the answer in areas like testing. , surveillance, location of contacts, containment, treatment and reports.
The United States has the highest number of deaths and infections from coronavirus in the world. Tuesday afternoon in the US In the United States, at least 2,329,637 were infected in the country and 121,029 died, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
The diplomat added that some European countries were “reluctant to reopen,” for fear of the second wave of the coronavirus.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN: “We are committed to coordinating with our European partners and allies as we hope to reopen our economies and ease restrictions. We continue to urge American citizens to consult the websites of the websites of the US embassies or consulates information on entry restrictions, foreign quarantine policies, and urgent health information provided by local governments
Among the options being discussed are travel restrictions based on the geographic regions of the US. In the US, instead of a widespread ban across the country, as some regions have higher infection rates than others, two EU officials told CNN.
Another EU diplomat told CNN that the permanent representatives of the EU member states to the European Union discussed this issue on Monday and will discuss it again tomorrow. The diplomat said they had not seen a list of countries, only criteria. This criterion includes the incidence of coronavirus per 100,000 people in the last 14 days.
The White House so far has shown little interest in getting involved on the issue, according to two European officials. “The travel ban on the United States is much stricter, so it is difficult to imagine them making a fuss over this, and they have not,” said a senior European official.
A second European diplomat said the travel ban has nothing to do with the EO signed by United States President Donald Trump this week, which freezes visas for foreign workers. “It is based solely on health considerations,” said this person.
The European Commission tasked with reviewing the checklist criteria is currently “working 24 hours,” according to a Commission official, to get the guidelines back to Member States as soon as possible before the reopening scheduled for 1 December. July.
The ambassadors will meet again on Wednesday and Friday this week to discuss the next steps in the process.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that EE. USA It has the highest number of deaths and coronavirus infections worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
James Frater and Vasco Cotovio of CNN reported from London, Samantha Beech reported from Atlanta and Emma Reynolds wrote from London.
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