According to reports, the European Union plans to recommend to its member countries that they reinstate restrictions on U.S. travelers due to the rising level of COVID-19 infections.
EU diplomats who spoke to The Associated Press said the recommendation to reverse June’s decision to lift restrictions on US travelers could arrive as early as this week. However, the PA reports that any decision on this issue would not be binding, as the EU does not have a unified COVID-19 policy on tourism.
The Hill has contacted the EU for further comments.
The criterion for allowing residents to travel to the EU for non-essential travel does not require more than 75 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in the last two weeks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the total number of new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been more than 11,000 per 100,000 over the past two weeks. More recently, 11,810 cases per 100,000 were recorded.
Although no recommendations have yet been published, EU advice could affect some of its member countries as they move to reopening.
Last week it was reported that Denmark, a member of the EU, would lift all COVID-19 restrictions from September.
Denmark’s Health Minister Magnus Heunicke cited “record levels of vaccination” when announcing the plans.
“That’s why we can abandon the special rules we had to introduce in the fight against COVID-19,” Heunicke added.