This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
As the European Union prepares to lift internal border restrictions for its citizens, Kenya has been left out of the list of 'safe' countries. The ban, which will remain in place until July 1, affects visitors from Kenya and 16 other countries.
The decision was made after assessing the epidemiological situation in each country, their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and their ability to apply containment measures during travel. Kenya has so far recorded 6,190 cases and 144 deaths as of June 29, with numbers on the rise in June.
Only citizens from 14 countries will be allowed to enter Europe, including Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. The ban has also exempted citizens from 'unsafe countries' who are already living in Europe.
The European Union has stated that China will be added to the 'safe list' if they offer an equal travel deal for citizens from European Union nations. Citizens from the United Kingdom have been exempted from the temporary travel restriction, and they will be treated in the same way as European Union nationals until the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Americans have been banned from traveling to EU nations following the high number of coronavirus cases in the country. As of June 30, the US had recorded 2,682,011 cases and 128,788 deaths since the onset of the outbreak.
