As the European Union prepares to reopen its borders on Wednesday (July 1), the 27-member bloc unveiled a list of safe countries from which it will allow non-essential travel. The United States was left off the 15-nation list as it deals with a second wave of the coronavirus.
The safelist includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. China is also on the list but must accept visitors from the E.U. before Chinese travelers can start entering the E.U.
While the number of COVID-19 cases has been declining in the E.U. since mid-April, the United States has seen a surge in infections. The increase in cases started in June, as many states began to reopen their economies. Several states, including Florida and Texas, have been forced to roll back their reopening plans due to the significant spike in new cases.
The U.S. leads the world with over 2.6 million coronavirus cases and more than 126,000 deaths. The numbers are not improving as 36 states are seeing an increase in infections from the previous week.
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