The European Union began the process of removing the U.S.from the 27-country bloc’s "safelist" of countries. Reuters reported Friday that this signaled a move to restore restrictions against nonessential travel from America and impose quarantine and testing for U.S. citizens arriving in the EU.
According to reports, the recommendation could be made as soon as Monday. However, the restrictions suggested by the European Council wouldn't be obligatory for EU member countries. Each country will be free to impose any restrictions it chooses, or none at all.
The Reuters report cited comments from two anonymous diplomats, who were not authorized to speak about the issue. The report was confirmed by the New York Times on Sunday.
The EU has maintained infection rates below 75 per 100,000 in countries that have been designated "safe". According to Reuters Covid-19 tracker, the recent rise in delta variants in the U.S. has pushed the number to 328 per 100,000.
Despite opening travel to the U.S. to EU citizens in June, the U.S. has not reciprocated. It remains closed to EU tourists.
This report first appeared in Business Travel News.
