Europe reopens its borders but bars America, Russia, India

American travelers will be refused entry into the European Union for at least another two weeks due to soaring coronavirus infections in the U.S.

The EU announced that it will reopen its borders to travelers from 14 countries, excluding U.S. travelers further because of the recent worrying spike in cases.

Travelers from other big countries such as Russia, Brazil and India will also miss out.

Citizens of Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay will now be allowed into the EU's 27 member states.


They can also enter the four other nations in Europe's visa-free Schengen travel zone.

The EU said China is 'subject to confirmation of reciprocity', meaning it must lift all restrictions on European citizens entering China before it will allow Chinese citizens back in.

Countries considered for the safe list are also expected to lift any bans they might have in place on European travelers.

As Europe's economies reel from the impact of the coronavirus, southern EU countries like Greece, Italy and Spain are desperate to entice back sun-loving visitors and breathe life into their damaged tourism industries.


More than 15 million Americans are estimated to travel to Europe each year, while some 10 million Europeans head across the Atlantic.

Still, many people both inside and outside Europe remain wary of travel in the coronavirus era, given the unpredictability of the pandemic and the possibility of second waves of infection that could affect flights and hotel bookings.

There are concerns in particular about U.S. travelers, where spikes in cases are causing the rollback and slowdown of state reopenings.


New coronavirus infections across the United States almost doubled last week with 31 states reporting an uptick in cases - as Arizona became the latest hot spot to reverse its reopening by closing bars and gyms.




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