EU to re-impose virus travel restrictions on Algeria

BRUSSELS —The EU is to reimpose travel restrictions on Algeria, diplomats said on Wednesday, after a resurgence of coronavirus in the north African state.

Governments have restricted inbound travel from outside the EU in order to slow the spread of the epidemic, but on July 1 began reopening their borders to travellers from certain areas.

The bloc is expected to announce on Thursday that Algeria is being removed from a list of non-EU countries deemed to have the virus under relative control, a number of diplomats told AFP.

Though the final decision on who to admit rests with national governments, the move effectively bans travel from Algeria to the EU.

An EU diplomat said that Algeria’s neighbour Morocco would stay on the safe list but would be kept under close watch.

Algeria has seen a rise in coronavirus cases, with 675 infections — a one-day record for the country — recorded on Friday.