The European Union recommended this Monday to its 27 member countries that they reimpose restrictions on travelers from the United States due to the increase in infections and deaths from coronavirus.
The change affects
unvaccinated people
, as European authorities continue to recommend that those who are fully immunized with licensed vaccines be accepted regardless of the country they come from.
The European Council in any case removed the United States from its list of safe countries for non-essential travel during the pandemic.
The decision is not binding, that is, it does not oblige member countries to follow the recommendation, so each government will decide whether to keep the borders open to travelers from the United States.
In this way, it is expected that there will be a series of diverse measures throughout the continent.
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Tourists enjoy a sunny day at Cala Tadira beach near Sant Josep de Sa Talaia on the Balearic island of Ibiza, Spain, on August 24, 2021. Jaime Reina / AFP via Getty Images
Restrictions "may vary from state to state, but fully vaccinated Americans are widely expected to continue to maintain unrestricted access" to the European Union, a European diplomat told The Washington Post.
More than 15 million people traveled to Europe each year before the coronavirus crisis.
The European Union had lifted restrictions on American travelers in June, ahead of the summer season.
A recommendation that does not include London
The recommendation does not apply to the UK, which formally left the European Union at the beginning of the year and opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers in early August.
The United States remains well on the UK's amber travel list, meaning that immunized adults do not have to quarantine.
A COVID-19 test is required three days before arriving in the UK and another test two days after arrival.
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What is the criteria to be on the list
The European Council updates the safe travel list every two weeks based on levels of coronavirus infection.
The threshold to take part is less than 75 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days.
Last week in the US, new cases of coronavirus exceeded an average of 152,000 a day with 100,000 hospitalizations in the country, figures that had not been registered since January.
There are also more than 1,200 deaths per day due to the coronavirus.
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United States, still with closed borders
The United States has yet to reopen its borders to travelers from the European Union, despite calls for the Biden administration to lift its ban.
Adalbert Jahnz, home affairs spokesman for the European Commission, said on Monday he was still in talks with the Biden administration.
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The European Council said in this regard that "reciprocity [in the measures taken] must also be taken into account on a case-by-case basis."
With information from The Associated Press and The Washington Post.
