This photo shows French citizens of Algerian origin waiting at the departure hall of Houari Boumediene International airport in Algiers, Algeria, on July 1, 2020, to return for the first time to France since coronavirus measures where imposed in March. (ANIS BELGHOUL / AP)

The European Council opened the bloc’s external borders on July 1 to citizens of 15 countries, including China but not the United States.

The approved countries are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China.

But China’s inclusion is subject to confirmation of a reciprocal arrangement, according to the announcement. So far, China only allows what is deemed essential travel by visitors from European Union member states.

China will gradually resume exchanges of people with the EU in a safe and orderly manner on the premise of guaranteeing the COVID-19 prevention and control measures, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on July 1.

The European Council stressed that the list will be reviewed and updated every two weeks. Criteria used to make decisions include the epidemiological situation and containment measures in a country, including physical distancing levels, as well as economic and social considerations.

The European Council, which comprises 27 members, said Schengen Area-associated countries, such as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, are also taking part in this recommendation.

In the US, the EU’s travel list has generated headlines with the exclusion of the country hit hardest by the pandemic.

The US has reported some 2.6 million coronavirus cases and more than 127,000 deaths, by far the highest in the world, according to the World Health Organization. 

When Anthony Fauci attended his first Senate hearing on the novel coronavirus pandemic on May 12, the US was reporting 20,000 new cases daily. Testifying in the chamber for the second time on June 30, the country’s top infectious disease expert warned that the daily caseload — now at around 40,000 — could reach 100,000 without changes in people’s behavior.

Fauci, the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a Senate committee that the precipitous spiral will not be tamed until US citizens start following existing public health recommendations.

Across the world, Japan saw more than 100 new confirmed cases for three days in a row. India’s new cases were climbing fast over the past week, pushing the total to about 600,000 by July 2, while Brazil had recorded about 1.4 million infected people and nearly 60,000 deaths. 

Contact the writers at chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn