European Union (EU) officials on Thursday announced that the citizens of Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay will now be allowed to travel anywhere in the Schengen Zone. The inclusion of China however, will remain &ldquosubject to confirmation of reciprocity,&rdquo meaning the country must lift all restrictions on European citizens entering their territory before EU allows Chinese citizens back in.

India is among the countries that do not feature on that list.

Officials stated that the decision was taken &ldquoputting into effect a complex policy that seeks to balance health concerns with politics, diplomacy and the desperate need for tourism revenue.&rdquo

The EU had first published its list of countries marked as epidemiologically safe on June 30 with a total of 15 countries.  Officials had said that the borders of EU will be open for citizens of these countries only on the basis of mutual terms, that is, these countries must allow Europeans in as well.

However, the list was revamped, Algeria, Montenegro and Serbia were dropped, bringing the total down to 12. The action came as a result of a constant surge in the number of daily cases in these regions. 

As the list is only a recommendation and not a legally binding instrument, not all countries have agreed to abide by it. Countries like Poland and Hungary have refused to open their borders to citizens of the countries suggested in the list.

Meanwhile, Britain's ban on Spain following an upswing in coronavirus cases in that country has thrown a spanner in the tourism-reliant economy of Europe. The ban means that the travellers arriving in Britain from Spain will have to undergo a strict 14-day quarantine. The travel ban situation is very much in flux all over the world. Reports suggest that travellers returning to U.K. from Belgium and Luxembourg could have the same restrictions imposed in the coming days.