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EU to prepare list of COVID-safe nations by Tuesday

The European Union will have a list of COVID-19-safe countries for travel purposes ready by Tuesday at the latest, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Monday. EU officials are preparing a list of 15 countries that are safe for open borders based on epidemiological criteria, she told local radio Cadena SER.

Published June 29,2020
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Spain's foreign minister says that the European Union is putting together a list of 15 countries that are not bloc members and whose nationals will be allowed to visit from Wednesday.

The final list will be announced later on Monday or Tuesday morning, Arancha González Laya told Spain's Cadena SER radio.

She said she wasn't aware of pressure from the United States for the EU to reopen travel to their nationals, adding that countries have been chosen according to their coronavirus statistics — whether similar or not to that in the EU — trends of contagion and how realiable data is.

"This is not an exercise to be nice or unfriendly to other countries, this is an exercise of self-responsibility," González Laya said.

Among the countries being discussed is Morocco, whose government doesn't plan to open borders until July 10. González Laya said that the EU is considering to accept travelers from China if Beijing reciprocates accepting travelers from the EU starting on July 1.

The minister also confirmed that Spain will fully reopen borders with Portugal, despite a spike in infections in the neighboring country.