The diplomat said that the EU ambassador agreed on Wednesday (September 8) to remove six countries, including Japan, from the EU’s COVID safe travel list, which means that tourists entering the country may face restrictions.
The measures aimed at non-essential travel from Japan, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia and Brunei-scheduled to be formalized this week-are Brussels’ latest move to tighten entry amid rising concerns about the number of infections.
At the same time, the envoys agreed to add Uruguay to countries that do not recommend restrictions.
The list is not binding on the 27 EU countries, which can choose to allow fully vaccinated travelers from any destination to visit.
So far, most EU member states have followed Brussels’ travel advice during the crisis.
At the end of last month, Brussels recommended that capitals re-limit non-essential travel from the United States because of stagnant vaccination efforts in the United States.
Once the latest changes take effect, there will be more than a dozen countries on the EU’s COVID-safe list.
