The US is expected to be excluded from a final list of countries whose citizens will be able to enter the European Union (EU) nations again starting in July, according to The Associated Press.
Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya said on Monday that the list could include some 15 countries and that it would be based on criteria that evaluate how they have managed the outbreak of the new coronavirus. The list is likely to be released Tuesday, the AP noted.
The countries on the list are reportedly expected to remove any restrictions they have placed on travelers from Europe. The New York Times noted last week that countries on the EU safe list include Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, Andorra, San Marino, Monaco and the Vatican.
The EU is also considering allowing Chinese citizens to enter the bloc, as long as Beijing removes restrictions on travel from Europe.
The move to continue banning Americans from entering European countries comes as parts of the US experience an increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations stemming from the disease. The United States reported more than 44,000 cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the first time in more than a month that the single-day total exceeded 40,000.
The United States has reported the most confirmed cases of any country in the world. As of Monday, the country had confirmed more than 2.5 million cases and nearly 125,000 deaths caused by the virus.
González Laya said he was not aware of any pressure from the US to include the country on the safe list that will be launched soon, AP said. He emphasized that the list was based on coronavirus statistics and trends that certain countries were experiencing with respect to the disease.
“This is not an exercise in being friendly or hostile to other countries, it is an exercise of your own responsibility,” Cadena SER told Spanish radio, according to the news service.
The list is expected to be reviewed every 14 days, and countries will be added or removed based on how they handle the pandemic. However, the deal is not legally binding, and countries could individually choose to allow American tourists, the Times reported last week.
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