The European Union made public their list of countries from which they'll allow travelers. Residents of these countries will be allowed to visit Europe for tourism beginning July 1, 2020. The list includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay.

Noticeably absent is the USA. With more than 2.5 million cases of COVID-19, the EU felt that US travelers pose too large of a risk at this time. Oddly, China is mentioned as a potential 15th country for the list, as long as they reciprocate by allowing European travelers to visit China. Does anybody really think the COVID-19 case numbers being reported by China are accurate (a total of 83,500 cases since the pandemic began, 4,600 total deaths, and only 12 new cases in the last 24 hours)?

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“Air travel shrink-wraps the world, leaving it small, odorless, tidy, and usually out of sight.”

– Michael Palin, British actor, comedian, Around the World in 80 Days (1989)

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At least that's what the European Commission is recommending to member states. Some countries, like Spain, are looking at July 1 as their planned reopening date. Note that the open borders only apply to member states of the European Union, and some neighboring non-EU countries, such as Switzerland. Outside travel from the United States for tourism is still not allowed.

Here's an interactive map, showing at a glance which countries in the world have travel restrictions in place. Click on any one of the countries, and you'll get a po-up with more details about the current situation for travelers.

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“It is very surprising to discover the importance which politics assume the moment one begins to travel.”

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US passport services, which have been suspended since early March, will resume in phases over the coming weeks. The State Department announced a three phase plan to resume services on a first in, first out basis. Expect significant delays in processing, if you need to apply for a new passport or renewal in the next few months.

Virgin Atlantic has joined the growing number of airlines announcing that they will resume services between the US and Europe, beginning in late July.

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