European Union Welcomes US Easing of Travel Restrictions

EU Praises US for Easing Travel Restrictions in November

(Reuters) – The European Union welcomed the United States’ announcement on Monday that it will re-open its doors to European travellers vaccinated against COVID-19 in November, rolling back restrictions in place since early last year.

“A long-awaited step for separated families & friends, and good news for business,” the 27-nation bloc’s executive Commission said on Twitter, referring to a U.S. decision to also ease the rules for travellers from China and India.

The U.S. curbs were first imposed on travellers from China in January 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and extended to other countries in the following months, without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.

EU governments agreed at the end of August to remove the United States from the EU’s safe travel list because of a rise in COVID-19 cases, meaning U.S. visitors are likely to face tighter controls, such as COVID-19 tests and quarantines.

The bloc still lets in most non-EU visitors who are fully vaccinated, although tests and periods of quarantine can apply, depending on the EU country of arrival.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by Barbara Lewis)