This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
On July 1st, 2020, the European Union (EU) lifted border restrictions for its citizens, aiming to salvage the European tourism season ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the move comes with a caveat: visitors from only 14 non-EU countries deemed 'safe' from Covid-19 will be granted entry into the region.
Kenya, with over 6,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 144 deaths, is not among the 14 nations on the 'safe list', which includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, and Morocco, among others.
EU citizens from 'unsafe countries' already living in Europe are exempt from the ban, while China may be added to the 'safe list' if it offers a reciprocal travel deal to Schengen nations.
British nationals are exempt until the end of the Brexit transition period, while US citizens remain banned due to the country's high number of Covid-19 infections.
