The President of the EU Commission has today announced plans to introduce a 30-day ban on non-essential travel to the European Union. She has presented this idea to G7 partners and heads of state.

We’re still waiting for details on the timing, though I would imagine if this is implemented, it will happen soon.

You can see her announcement here:

There are a few things worth being aware of:

  • Unlike the US ban on European visitors, this isn’t being done because the EU thinks they have everything under control and other regions don’t, but rather is being done because they recognize that everything that reduces social interaction helps reduce the speed at which the virus spreads
  • Some EU countries have already started partially closing their borders
  • The EU wants to maintain the flow of goods to maintain economic continuity
  • There will be “green lanes” to give priority to essential transport like perishable goods and medical goods
  • Exemptions for entering the EU would apply for long-term residents of the European Union, family members, diplomats, essential staff, people transporting goods, and frontier workers
  • The restriction would also have to apply on the four Schengen associated states (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland)
  • On top of that, the EU Commission is working on a framework for state aid at “unprecedented levels, giving businesses access to liquidity over the coming months”

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