As the number of Covid-19 cases is on the rise in the United States, the European Union on Monday (August 30) has recommended that its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S, however, member countries will keep the option of allowing fully vaccinated U.S. travelers in.
This decision by the European Council to remove the U.S. from a safe list of countries for nonessential travel states the obvious of the situation in the States.
The EU’s decision is based on sound logic that the rampant spread of the virus in the U.S. could spread to Europe driven by the more contagious delta variant.
The guidance issued on Monday is, however, nonbinding because 15 million Americans each year travel to Europe before the coronavirus crisis, and travel restrictions have cost European businesses billions in revenues, especially in tourism-reliant countries.
“Nonessential travel to the EU from countries or entities not listed (on the safe list) … is subject to temporary travel restriction,” the council said in a statement. “This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on nonessential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travelers.”
U.S. travelers would have to be immunized with vaccines approved by the bloc, which includes Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson&Johnso and U.S. travelers could also face quarantines.
It must also be noted that the United States is yet to reopen its own borders to EU tourists, despite calls from the bloc but it is also averaging more than 155,000 new coronavirus cases and 1,200 deaths per day with several U.S. states running out of oxygen supply.
Also, hospitals are seeking extra refrigerated trucks because morgues are at full capacity in states like Florida what is more alarming is that hospitals are running out of staff in several states and to further compound the crisis there is massive “vaccine hesitancy” in the US.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.