EU borders reopen for 14 nations, not India, US, Russia

BRUSSELS/NEWYORK/TORONTO: The European Union announced on Tuesday that it will reopen its borders to travellers from 14 countries, but most Americans have been refused entry for at least two more weeks due to soaring coronavirus cases in the US.

Travellers from other big countries like India, Russia and Brazil will also miss out.

As Europe’s economies reel from the impact of the coronavirus, southern EU countries like Greece, Italy and Spain are desperate to entice back sun-loving visitors and breathe life into their damaged tourism industries.

More than 15 million Americans are estimated to travel to Europe each year.

Citizens from the following countries will be allowed into the EU’s 27 members and four other nations in the Schengen travel zone: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.

SERIOUS COVID-LINKED CONDITION HITS US KIDS At least 285 US children have developed a serious inflammatory condition linked to the coronavirus and while most recovered, the potential for long-term or permanent damage is unknown, two studies suggest.

The papers, published online on Monday in New England Journal of Medicine, provide the fullest report yet on the condition.

The condition is known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.

FIGHT IS NOT YET OVER, SAYS CANADIAN PM Canada is moving in the right direction as far as combating the pandemic is concerned, but the “fight is not yet over”, the country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned, even as health authorities released new projections that indicate that infections are sharply tapering off.

Canada has so far reported more than 103,000 cases of Covid-19 and at least 8,500 deaths, according to coronavirus monitor Worldometer.