EU to Lift Travel Ban on 1st Next Month... "China Allowed, but US and Russia Likely Excluded"

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Jeong Hyunjin] The European Union (EU), which is planning to lift travel restrictions on travelers coming from outside countries starting next month on the 1st, is reportedly considering excluding the United States and others from the list.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 23rd (local time), the EU intends to continue banning entry for the United States, Russia, and Brazil, citing reasons such as their COVID-19 control situations not meeting EU standards.

According to this report, the EU has prepared an entry approval list based on the number of new COVID-19 cases over two weeks. Currently, the EU has about 16 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. In contrast, the United States has 107, Brazil 190, and Russia 80.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Moreover, these three countries are also the ones with the highest number of COVID-19 cases worldwide. According to the international statistics site Worldometer, the cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States are 2,423,284, Brazil 1,151,479, and Russia 599,705, ranking first, second, and third globally, respectively. Furthermore, the United States reports 35,131 new cases daily, Brazil 40,131, and Russia 7,425, indicating that the spread is not slowing down.

Applying this standard, the United States and others are excluded from the entry list, leaving 47 countries allowed. Additionally, the EU is considering introducing an entry approval list for 54 countries with fewer than 20 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. The NYT explained that European countries are currently deliberating over two provisional lists of foreign countries allowed entry. The NYT stated, "This list includes developing countries such as China, Uganda, Cuba, and Vietnam," while "some countries, including the United States, were excluded due to being considered very risky because of COVID-19 spread."

The EU's list of allowed countries is expected to be finalized early next week. Once the criteria are established, they will be provided to member states in the form of recommendations.

The EU decided to implement measures to restrict non-essential entry of third-country nationals starting March 16 to block COVID-19. After extending these measures twice, the EU decided to prepare an approval list based on each country's COVID-19 spread situation.

The exclusion of the United States from this approval list creates a striking contrast. Earlier, on March 11, U.S. President Donald Trump pointed to the spread of COVID-19 in Europe and banned entry into the United States for foreigners who had stayed in 26 European countries excluding the United Kingdom for 30 days. At that time, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, immediately called it a "unilateral measure," emphasizing that "COVID-19 is a global crisis that is not limited to any continent and requires cooperation rather than unilateral actions." Recently, as the spread in the United States has intensified, the situation has reversed.

The NYT evaluated that if the EU takes such measures, it would be "a severe blow to the United States' prestige worldwide and a denial of President Trump's response to COVID-19 within the United States."

Meanwhile, an EU official told foreign media that the United States might be included in the list later, and the list of target countries will be updated every two weeks considering each country's COVID-19 situation after the initial announcement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.