The European Union on Tuesday announced that it will allow residents of 15 countries to enter its borders.

Countries where the number of Covid-19 cases is high and the infection is still spreading have been excluded from EU’s “safe list”.

“The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted cover, in particular, the epidemiological situation and containment measures, including physical distancing, as well as economic and social considerations. They are applied cumulatively,” the Council of the EU said in an official press release.

The 15 countries from where international travel is permitted are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China.

China’s inclusion in the list is subject to confirmation of reciprocity, EU said. The US, Brazil and India have not made it to the list.

British nationals, who are considered to be a part of the EU till December 31, are also allowed to travel within the EU despite the high number of cases in the UK. The UK is also planning to launch an ‘air bridge’ plan to define exemptions for travellers from certain countries from its mandatory two weeks’ quarantine, according to media reports.

The list will be reviewed and updated every two weeks.

EU had placed a temporary restriction of all non-essential travel from countries that are not part of the bloc starting March 16, owing to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.

The European Commission on June 11 recommended further extension of the travel ban. It had then formed a plan for the gradual lifting of these travel restrictions as of July 1.

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