COVID-19: Nigeria excluded from list of countries allowed entry into Europe

Nigeria is among the list of 54 countries not qualified for travels into Europe as the European Union opens its borders.

The European Union Commission has fixed July 1 to reopen its borders after months of closure  to to contain the spread of COVID-19.

According to the EU list, the countries permitted to enter Europe include Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada.

Others listed are China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lebanon and Mauritius.

More countries include Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zambia.

The commission also revealed that some countries will be considered to enter Europe at a later date when the epidemiological situation in these countries improves.

The countries include Brazil, Qatar, the US and Russia.

The EU Commission spokesman, Eric Mamer, said the union had the right to choose who would enter its borders.

“The European Union has an internal process to determine from which countries it would be safe to accept travellers,” he said, adding that it was “based on health criteria.”