EU to reopen borders to fully vaccinated travelers

BRUSSELS - European Union (EU) member states agreed Wednesday that the bloc's borders should reopen to travelers who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, European sources said.

Meeting in Brussels, diplomats also agreed to increase the level of new cases a country can hit before being declared unsafe -- a measure that would open up travel into the EU from more places.

The recommendations will be adopted by EU ministers on Friday, they said.

Currently, non-essential travel into the 27-member EU is banned, apart from a small number of countries deemed safe because of their low Covid-19 case rate.

But businesses on the continent are reopening as virus restrictions are phased out and bars, hotels and restaurants are worried about the summer tourist trade.

Under the new regulation, unvaccinated people from most countries will still be banned from entering the EU, but travel could be allowed from non-EU countries like Britain, which is well-advanced in its vaccination campaign.