The European Union is Poised to Ban American Travelers

(1:40 p.m. EDT) – The European Union (EU) is in the process of drawing up a comprehensive list of countries that will be allowed to once again travel to its 26 member countries — and citizens of the United States are, for now, off the list.

Starting July 1, citizens of Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and nine other nations would be allowed to travel to the European Union if regulations unfold the way they’re expected to over the next few days, writes Forbes and various other outlets.

The BBC notes that citizens of Brazil, Russia and the United States will likely be barred due to rising COVID-19 infection rates in those countries.

For the past three days in a row, new COVID-19 cases have rose in the United States by over 40,000 new infections per day. Arizona, Florida and Texas are the latest epicentres of the virus.

While the European Union has yet to issue its final travel guidance for July 1, most drafts of the legislation reviewed by media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic report the United States is not included on the list of permissible countries to visit for tourism-related purposes.

Restrictions on nonessential travel were introduced in Europe in mid-March and have been extended three times since. The move has the potential to seriously disrupt the European river cruise industry, which relies heavily on American travelers. A ban on European leisure travel for Americans could also cause considerable uncertainty for those booked on cruise holidays to the 26-member Schengen Zone in the fall.

Once this new legislation is passed, the European Union is expected to review the list of countries allowed to enter the region every 14 days.

Cruise Critic will update this story with new information as it becomes available.