On Wednesday, the European Union agreed to open the bloc of countries to visitors vaccinated against COVID-19 or those who come from a list of countries considered "safe," according to the New York Times and Reuters.
The new rules set Wednesday will require visitors to be fully vaccinated against the virus by an approved shot. The bloc will also allow any visitor traveling from a list of pre-approved countries. According to the New York Times, the EU will finalize the list of safe countries on Friday.
The rules mean that Europe will be open to tourists just in time for the summer traveling season. The continent has been mostly inaccessible to travelers for the past year due to lockdown restrictions implemented at the start of the pandemic.
According to Bloomberg, the European Union has administered enough shots to cover about 23% of its total population. Ten member countries have administered vaccines to 40% of their residents.
