EU TRIMS BORDER LIST; US MAY NOT MAKE THE CUT AS IT REPORTS OVER 45,000 NEW CASES

WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS:European Union envoys are close to finalising a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again, possibly from next week, EU diplomats said on Saturday. Americans are likely to be excluded in the short term due to the number of US coronavirus cases.

The envoys were expected to have narrowed down later on Saturday the exact criteria for countries to make the list, which include the way the spread of the virus is being managed.

The US set another singleday day record for new Covid-19 infections with 45,255 cases reported on Friday as public health officials blamed the new surge on states that reopened too soon or without necessary precautions and young people returning to public life.

The US government’s top health expert, Anthony Fauci, has called the new focus on young people a “paradigm shift”.

Texas saw another day of over 5,000 new infections. Florida was another state facing a sharp surge with a daily record of more than 9,500 new cases.