The European Union has begun the process to remove the U.S. from the 27-country bloc's "safe list" of countries, Reuters reported on Friday, signaling a move to reinstate restrictions barring nonessential travel from the U.S. and imposing quarantine and testing on U.S. travelers arriving into the EU.
The recommendation could come as early as Monday, according to reports. The restrictions recommended by the European Council would not be mandatory among EU member states, however. Each country will have latitude to reimpose whatever restrictions they choose, or none at all.
The Reuters report cited commentary from two anonymous diplomats who were not authorized to speak on the issue. The New York Times confirmed the report on Sunday.
Countries that are designated as "safe" by the EU have maintained infection rates of 75 or less per 100,000 people. The recent surge of the delta variant in the U.S. has pushed number well above that rate to 328 per 100,000, according to Reuters Covid-19 tracker.
Despite the EU opening travel to U.S. travelers in June, the U.S. has not reciprocated and remains closed to EU travelers.
This report originally appeared in Business Travel News.