The European continent on Tuesday reopened to visitors from 14 countries, but not the U.S., where some of the states that pushed hardest and earliest to reopen their economies are now in retreat because of an alarming surge in confirmed coronavirus infections.
The European Union’s travel decision came a day after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an order closing bars, gyms, movie theaters and water parks, and officials in Republican and Democratic strongholds alike mandated the wearing of masks.
The EU extended its ban on travelers not just from the U.S. but from other big countries, such as Russia, Brazil and India, all of which are seeing rapidly rising caseloads.
President Donald Trump suspended the entry of most Europeans in March.
More than 15 million Americans travel to Europe each year, while some 10 million Europeans head across the Atlantic.
In the U.S., places such as Texas, Florida and California are backtracking, closing beaches and bars in some cases amid a resurgence of the virus.
“Our expectation is that our numbers next week will be worse,” Ducey said in Arizona, where for seven times in 10 days, the number of new cases per day has surpassed the 3,000 mark.
Also Monday, Los Angeles announced it will close beaches and ban fireworks displays over the Fourth of July. And New Jersey’s governor announced he is postponing the restarting of indoor dining because people have not been wearing masks or complying with other social-distancing rules.
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Associated Press reporters from around the world contributed to this report.
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