An-Najah News - A number of European countries are planning to reopen up to tourists but others are worry of the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus.

The European countries ,members of the EU, must first agree the measures that non-EU countries should meet before putting it  on a safe list.

The virus is spreading in the US, so it is likely Americans will not be in the safe list .

Brazil, Russia and other countries with high infection rates would also be left off a safe list, according to reports from Brussels.

The EU is not yet thought to have agreed how they will assess which countries meet health standards - one of the criteria for entry. Part of the problem is assessing reliable health data, media reports say.

Latest figures from the EU's health agency, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, highlight Brazil, Peru, Chile, Panama and Saudi Arabia as countries with the highest "case notification rate".

Russia and the US have a lower rate of cases per 100,000 inhabitants but are still higher than most of Europe. The US has seen 2.3 million infections and 120,000 deaths and cases are climbing in several states.

Denmark, which was among the first European countries to start lifting its lockdown, has begun reopening its borders more slowly than others. Denmark is a Schengen state but it still has strict criteria for those visiting the country.

Tourists were allowed to return from mid-June from Norway, Iceland and Germany, but not from neighboring Sweden.

Greece, meanwhile, opened its borders to a number of countries on 15 June in a bid to kick-start its tourist season.

Japanese, Israeli, Australian and New Zealand travellers are allowed in while higher-risk countries such as the UK and Belgium face compulsory testing and quarantine.