The European Union recommended banning Americans from non-essential travel as the number of coronavirus cases continues to soar across the country. The decision comes just a few months after the European Council urged members of the 27-nation bloc to lift the restrictions on vaccinated travelers from the United States in an effort to boost tourism during the summer.
The recommendation is non-binding, and it is up to individual member states to reinstate the restrictions against American travelers.
The updated guidance also applies to several other nations, including Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Biden administration has not opened up the border to travelers from the EU, despite repeated calls from the European officials to allow vaccinated individuals to travel to the U.S.
The United States is reporting about 150,000 new cases every day as the Delta variant targets unvaccinated individuals. The number of hospitalizations is approaching 100,000, leaving many hospitals struggling to deal with the influx of patients, including a growing number of children.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 52.3% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and 61.6% have received their first dose.