Europe prepares to reopen to foreign travellers, including Australians

Ns News Online Desk: Brussels: European diplomats are poised to approve an agreement on which foreign travelers they want to welcome starting on July 1 as the European Union reopens its external borders for the first time since March.

Europe’s draft in-and-out list reflects its assessment of how well other countries have managed to control their outbreaks. EU countries were among the world’s hardest-hit by the pandemic, but most now have the virus under control and have been willing to consider opening their borders to other countries where the novel coronavirus is similarly in check.China is among the 15 countries set to make the cut, despite EU skepticism about how transparent it has been about its outbreak. Visitors from China would be allowed to enter Europe only if Beijing drops measures against EU travelers.

Also expected to be approved are visitors from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, in addition to Algeria, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.