Reports have emerged that the EU is set to announce the reimposition of the ban on travel to Europe from the United States.
Reuters says it has confirmation from two EU diplomats that the decision was taken on Friday, 27 August but would only be officially announced today – so long as no EU country objected.
As well as the United States, the other countries to be removed from the epidemiologically safe list are Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
All six have seen a spike in Covid numbers within the last couple of weeks.
However, it is the inclusion of the United States that will be seen as the biggest blow to the resumption of tourism.
The EU reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from the U.S. in June, but the U.S. has so far not reciprocated.
Despite huge pressure from tourism authorities on both sides of the Atlantic the Biden Administration has refused to lift the ban on European travellers first imposed by the Trump Administration in March, 2020.
