Diplomats from the European Union said Sunday that the union will recommend stopping nonessential travel from the U.S. due to the spread of the coronavirus.
The Wall Street Journal reports that European officials have been “considering the move for much of the last month, with the average U.S. infection rate now above that of the E.U.”
The Slovenian presidency of the E.U. last week recommended removing the U.S., along with five other countries, from a list of countries allowed nonessential travel, with a final decision due Monday. No objections have been raised so far, two diplomats said.
The E.U. travel list is not binding on member states, however, over the last few months, it has generally set the precedent for who can visit the E.U.
Washington has also kept a ban on European nonessential travel into the U.S. Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the E.U. would not allow the U.S. travel restrictions without the E.U. imposing reciprocal restrictions of its own.
E.U. officials also complained about a lack of a joint U.S.-E.U. understanding regarding the issue of travel restrictions.
However, numerous E.U. countries wanted to open their doors during the summer tourist season to bring in revenue in order to make up for the pandemic-induced economic recession.
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