EU Updates Travel Restrictions, Extends US Ban As Coronavirus Cases Rise

The European Union has kept the U.S. on its travel ban list because of the rise in coronavirus cases.

The EU updated its list of countries from which it will accept travelers on Thursday, now allowing visitors from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco , New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China -- as long as China accepts European travelers, as well.

The absense of the U.S. from the list means Americans will be prohibited from visiting the EU for at least two more week, the next time the European Council will update its list.

The European Council said it will continue containment measures in each country as it looks to increase or decrease the number of countries on the approved recommended travel list.

The European Council determines which countries to approve for travel to the EU based on stable or decreasing number of COVID-19 cases over a period of 14 days in addition to the overall response to COVID-19 taken, including testing, surveillance, contact tracing, containment, treatment and reporting. The council also takes into account reciprocity, as in the case of China.

Despite the EU allowing visitors from certain countries to travel within the region, it does not require countries to reopen their borders, saying the “recommendation is not a legally binding instrument.”

The U.S. had nearly 3.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 137,420 deaths reported as of early Thursday afternoon, according to John Hopkins University. Globally there are nearly 13.6 million cases of COVID-19 and 584,990 deaths, the university reported.