Europe is opening up, relaxing travel restrictions starting tomorrow to salvage the summer tourism season. But Americans aren't welcome. Today the European Union released a list of 14 nations from outside the European Bloc, cleared for travel based on COVID levels. The US isn't on the list and in a wake-up call on how others perceive Americans now. Russia and Brazil also didn't make the cut. The countries that did, include Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Rwanda. President Trump says the U.S. is leading the way on COVID. I saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
But new cases in the US have been hitting record levels, recently averaging about ten times as many as across the EU. And it isn't just numbers. European governments and citizens have been horrified at Americans refusing to wear masks. You’ve got to wear a mask, bro. And bursting into stores without them. The videos of American COVID rage and denial have become fodder for European tabloids. So Europe decided the US isn't healthy enough to travel. Some Americans living abroad agree. I think it's incredibly smart and it's really just quite sad that the U.S. is on that list. The EU restrictions are set to be reviewed in two weeks but as things stand now, they might not be relaxed after the first go-around.