EU 'agrees to ease restrictions for non-EU visitors'

The BBC reports the EU will open up to unvaccinated travellers from countries with a rate of Covid infection below 75 cases per 100,000, with a so-called "white list" set to be revealed later this week.

This, it is understood, will take account of the incidence of Covid-19 infection in individual source markets, and infection trends.

The rate of Covid infection in the UK is currently 22 per 100,000, although there are growing concerns about the spread of the Indian variant of Covid-19, particularly in the north-west of England.

EU diplomats have also recommended non-essential travel should be allowed from outside the EU for people who have been fully vaccinated.

EU spokesperson Ana Ascencao e Silva tweeted the plans had been formally adopted and that full details would follow later this week.

The plans, she said, include: certain waivers for vaccinated persons; easing the criteria to lift restrictions for third countries; an emergency brake mechanism to react to variants of interest or concern.