BRUSSELS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Council of the European Union (EU) on Thursday removed Algeria from its updated list of countries from where citizens are allowed to enter the bloc despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Algeria was removed from the list after a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country.
By 12:09 p.m. CEST (1009 GMT) on Thursday, Algeria had reported 29,229 confirmed cases with 1,186 deaths, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed.
The safe countries deemed to have COVID-19 largely under control are Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. It also recommended that residents of China be allowed to travel to the EU, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
The latest list, which the EU reviews every two weeks, did not include any new recommendations for which the EU member states could lift the temporary travel restrictions.
The list serves as a guideline rather than a rule for the EU's 27 members and is aimed at supporting the EU travel industry and tourist destinations, particularly countries in southern Europe which were the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Council said the criteria according to which the recommendations are made cover, in particular, the countries' epidemiological situations and containment measures. Enditem
