The European Union on Friday started a procedure to remove the United States from a list of countries whose citizens can travel to the 27-nation bloc without additional Covid-19 restrictions, diplomats told Reuters.
One diplomat said other countries that would be removed from the safe travel list were Kosovo, Israel, Montenegro, Lebanon and North Macedonia.
The decision on new EU travel restrictions for foreigners would become final on Monday should no EU country object, the sources, as well as two more EU officials, added.
Vaccine production
Meanwhile, production of Moderna Covid-19 vaccines at a plant of partner Rovi in Spain can continue after an initial assessment, the European Union drugs regulator said on Friday, as it continues its investigation of a contamination incident.
On Thursday Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, with the company saying contamination could be due to a manufacturing issue on one of the production lines at its contract manufacturing site in Spain run by Rovi.
"Covid-19 vaccine production in Rovi is able to continue, following a preliminary risk assessment of the information received so far," the European Medicines Agency (EMA) told Reuters in a statement on Friday.
"An investigation into the root cause is ongoing. EMA will be able to provide more information as the investigation progresses," it added.
