EU ambassadors are continuing talks to reopen external borders on 1 July, but US travellers could be among those not allowed in. With the virus spreading in parts of the US, it is likely Americans would be barred. Although some European countries are eager to open up to tourists, others remain wary of the continued spread of the virus.

The 27-member bloc must first agree on measures that non-EU countries should meet before deciding on a safe list. The European Commission is advising ambassadors to only consider countries comparable or better than the EU average when it comes to new infections, the trend in new infections, as well as testing and tracing. According to reports, Brazil, Russia, and other countries with high infection rates would also be omitted from a safe list.

Escalating

Although Russia and the US have a lower rate of cases per 100,000 inhabitants, they are still higher than most of Europe. The US has seen 2.3 million infections and 120,000 deaths, with cases escalating in several states.

According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a solution is expected “in the coming weeks". Although travel has largely been banned between the US and EU during the pandemic, Pompeo was "very confident" a solution could be found. "We certainly don't want to reopen in a way that jeopardizes the United States from people travelling here and we certainly don't want to cause problems anyplace else," he said.