14 countries will reportedly make the list.
The EU is set to name 14 countries whose citizens are deemed safe to let into the bloc from 1 July, despite the pandemic, with an official announcement expected on Tuesday.
Travellers Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay will all be welcomed into the EU if the proposal is approved on Tuesday.
The US, China and Brazil are excluded from the list but the EU is reportedly ready to add China if a reciprocal arrangement is put in place for EU travellers.
The criteria for making the list include trends in published pandemic infection rates and whether these are currently higher or lower than those in the EU’s 27 countries.
The list must be passed by a “qualified majority” of EU countries, which means that 55% of EU countries representing 65% of the population must agree.
It is aimed at supporting the EU travel and tourist destinations, some of which have been hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Monday evening, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health Dr Tony Holohan said the advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team was that they would like people not to travel.
“Think about other people and the risk you might pose even if you recover very well, for people who are more vulnerable,” Holohan said.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said on Monday: “Today we are reporting at least six cases associated with international travel.
Many countries around the world are still experiencing high and increasing levels of this disease. Last week, there were over 1.1 million cases reported and there have now been over 10 million cases reported globally to date.
“The risk of imported cases remains high. It’s important that continue to avoid all unnecessary travel at this time.”
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