If you were hoping to travel to Europe this summer, we hope you bought trip insurance. The European Union is planning on reopening its border, but that doesn’t mean that everyone will be allowed to enter. The United States is listed among the countries that will most likely be banned (temporarily) due to the spread of COVID-19.
Back in March, before lockdowns started in the United States, President Trump banned travel from Europe to the U.S. The intention was to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the United States. Later in March, the EU closed its border to most travelers including those from the United States.
The EU is planning to reopen the border, but they will not be allowing travel to and from every country. An anoymous source showed The New York Times a list of countries that will most likely be banned from traveling to the EU, and the United States is currently on that list.
The EU is being scientific about how they decide who may enter. They are looking at the number of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people over the previous two weeks. In the United States, that number is 107. For the EU, it’s only 16.
The list has not been finalized, and even after it is finalized, it will be reviewed and updated every two weeks. If and when the United States can slow down the spread of COVID-19, Americans should once again be able to travel to Europe.
Brazil and Russia are also on the list of potentially banned countries. In Brazil, the number of coronavirus infections per 100,000 in the last two weeks is 190, and in Russia, that number is 80.
According to The New York Times, the list will be finalized next week before July 1st.