United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
EU reinstates inbound US travel restrictions
The EU confirmed that ‘following a review’ it had removed the US from its safe list of countries.
It recommends non-essential travel should be blocked as the rate of infection across the US has surged to more than 300 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000.
This is way higher than the EU’s ‘safe’ rate of infections of 75 per 100,000.
There is also frustration from EU officials that the US refused to reciprocate when the EU relaxed travel rules for Americans this summer.
The proposed ban on non-essential travel is non-binding, which allows individual EU states to decide if they implement it or not.
"This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travellers," the EU Council said.
"It’s a setback despite the uptake in vaccinations – the tool that’s highly effective against the variants which are on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic," tthe US Travel Association said.
The US is removed from the safe list along with Kosovo, Israel, Montenegro, Lebanon and North Macedonia.
The Delta variant has raged across the US with states like Florida especially hard hit, despite near record levels of out of state tourist arrivals.
The Sunshine State has the highest Covid-19 hospitalization rate in the country.
About 52% of the US population is fully vaccinated according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Walt Leger on New Orleans’ Resilience and Major Events Ahead
Cindy Mackin Shares Estes Park’s Winter Thrills
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Report: Cruise guest died after ship lashed in heavy storm
British teen in serious condition after paraglider collision