歐洲聯盟今天公布15個「安全國家」名單，將自7月起允許這些疫情較緩和國家的旅客入境歐盟各國，中國也獲同意有條件列入名單，美國、俄羅斯和台灣則尚未列名。
路透社報導，代表歐盟各國政府的歐盟部長理事會（Council of the EU）發布聲明說，歐盟27國今天同意讓這些國家的旅客入境進行休閒或商務旅行。由於2019冠狀病毒疾病（COVID-19）肆虐全球，歐盟自3月中即禁止這類非必要旅行。
這15個國家是中國、阿爾及利亞、澳洲、加拿大、喬治亞、日本、蒙特內哥羅、摩洛哥、紐西蘭、盧安達、塞爾維亞、南韓、泰國、突尼西亞和烏拉圭。
中國獲同意有條件列入名單，要等中國當局也對歐盟旅客開放邊界，歐盟才會開放中國旅客入境，因為互惠是列入名單的條件。歐盟將兩週檢討一次狀況。
美國、俄羅斯、巴西和土耳其等國家因為控制疫情的情況被認為尚不如歐盟的平均水準，因此至少還要再等兩週才可能列入名單。
歐盟這項開放邊界作法是為了支撐境內的旅遊業和觀光區，尤其是受到2019冠狀病毒疾病疫情衝擊最大的南歐國家。
這項決定是對歐盟成員國的建議，並沒有法律約束力，這表示各國仍可對由名單中14個國家入境的旅客設限，而且幾乎確定不會允許來自其他國家的旅客入境。
德國和英國等受到COVID-19疫情影響的國家，捍衛只對感染率低、衛生服務高效和數據可靠的國家開放邊界。
另一方面，旅遊強勁，且在歐洲疫情最嚴重時感染人數比鄰國少的國家，如希臘和葡萄牙，渴望在疫情後促進觀光經濟，主張允許更多國家旅客入境。
法國則堅持互惠原則，意即歐盟以外的國家如果阻止從歐盟起飛的航班，它們也不應出現在允許入境歐盟的國家名單中。
原則上，世界衛生組織（WHO）並沒有表示由於COVID-19的緣故，有必要限制旅行或關閉邊界。但從宣布大流行，且國際旅行明顯成為COVID-19病毒傳播關鍵因素的那一刻起，越來越多的國家採取了此類措施。
根據巴西線上旅遊調查公司Kayak，目前有115個國家完全限制非公民入境，另外65個國家有部分限制，12個國家即將完全開放邊界，26個國家沒有旅遊限制。
Ottawa has extended for at least another month a sweeping travel ban that bars entry to all travellers who are not Canadian citizens, permanent residents or people entering from the U.S. for “essential” reasons.
The order, which was set to expire tonight, “has been extended until July 31 for public health reasons,” Rebecca Purdy, spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency, said in a statement to CBC News.
The order — one of a set of extraordinary new measures introduced on March 16 to stop the spread of COVID-19 — bans most foreign nationals from entering Canada if they arrive from a foreign country other than the U.S. (There are limited exceptions for air crew, diplomats and immediate family members of citizens. Some seasonal workers, caregivers and international students are also exempt.)
The previous order-in-council — a cabinet decision made without going before Parliament — was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Officials confirm the government will maintain the order barring foreign nationals from entering Canada at this time, instead of modifying the order to reopen the border to certain countries — those with low infection rates or those allowing Canadian tourists to visit, for example.
A separate order prohibits non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. and remains in effect until July 21; it was extended earlier this month. Under this order, essential workers, such as truckers and health workers, are allowed to cross the border.
Tuesday’s decision by Ottawa to continue banning foreign nationals from entering Canada comes after the European Union agreed to allow some tourists to enter the EU beginning tomorrow. Canada is among the 15 countries on the EU’s so-called “safe” list.
The EU said Tuesday it expects countries on that list to lift any bans they might have in place on European travellers.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back against pressure to relax the ban on international travellers, arguing that moving too quickly could spark a second wave of the coronavirus.
“We are going to be very, very careful about when and how we start reopening international borders,” Trudeau said at a briefing on June 22.
“I understand how difficult this is and how frustrating this is for some people, but we know that reopening too quickly or carelessly would lead us to a resurgence that might well force us to go back into lockdown, to shut down the economy once again, and nobody wants that.”
Mandatory quarantine order extended to end of August
Tuesday marks six months since the World Health Organization was first informed of a cluster of unusual pneumonia cases in China – the first public indications of the novel coronavirus’s emergence.
WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned this week that the coronavirus pandemic is “not even close to being over” and that the outbreak is accelerating globally. To date, the WHO has recorded more than 10 million cases and 500,000 deaths globally.
As CBC News first reported on Monday, the federal government is also extending strict quarantine rules requiring travellers to isolate for 14 days upon their arrival in Canada. That separate order – which was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday – has now been extended to August 31.
Under the Quarantine Act, travellers also need to confirm that they have a suitable place to isolate where they will have access to basic necessities, including food and medicine.
Under the Act, no one is permitted to quarantine anywhere they could come into contact with vulnerable people. Those who, for example, normally live with an elderly person or someone with a compromised immune system would have to quarantine elsewhere.
If the Canada Border Services Agency suspects that a returning traveller is not going to comply with the rules, it can alert the Public Health Agency of Canada, which can then flag the RCMP’s national operations centre. The RCMP has been playing a coordinating role with local police during the pandemic.
Maximum penalties for failing to comply with the Quarantine Act include a fine of up to $750,000 and/or imprisonment for six months. If someone jeopardizes another’s life while wilfully or recklessly contravening the act, the penalties are even greater: $1 million or three years in prison, or both.