Only for people from 15 countries could the current entry restrictions be lifted in July. China should also be among them if Beijing in return also allows EU citizens to return, as was said in diplomatic circles. The entry restrictions stipulate that only essential trips are allowed. The list of countries for which the EU should be banned includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China.
According to EU circles, the compromise on criteria and the list of countries worked out at the level of the ambassadors still has to be submitted for approval in some capitals. Ideally, a decision can then be taken on Monday in writing. A qualified majority is sufficient for the decision.
In the future, the number of new Covid 19 infections in the two weeks before will be decisive for easing the entry restrictions. In addition, the trend over the same period and how the respective state deals with the pandemic should also play a role.
Specifically, it is envisaged that the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within the past two weeks should be “close to or below 16” – in other words, as the EU average. The trend of new cases in the same period should be “stable or decreasing” compared to the previous 14 days. Measures for contact tracking of infected people, the number of tests and containment efforts are to play a role in the handling of states with Covid-19.
Citizens from countries heavily affected by the corona pandemic, such as the United States and Russia, would only be allowed to come to the EU in exceptional cases. The last time there were 60 to 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days. For countries like Brazil and Saudi Arabia, an overview of the EU health authority ECDC from Friday even gives a value of 120 or more cases. The overview does not provide any information about the trend.
In order to take into account the development of the number of infections, the entry restrictions should be continuously checked. The question of whether EU citizens can travel to the respective third country should also be included. In China, for example, despite relatively low infection rates, foreigners are still banned from entry.
To curb the coronavirus pandemic, all EU states except Ireland and the non-EU states Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland agreed in mid-March to initially ban travel to the EU that was not absolutely necessary. The entry stop had been extended several times and is currently valid until the end of June. Travel within the EU is already largely possible again.
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